The Galvan Foundation announced this morning plans for not one but two new buildings to be constructed in the area of the city it has dubbed "The Depot District."
We are pleased to share our Depot District plans, including two new buildings at 75 North 7th Street and 708 State Street, along with the restored Upper Hudson Depot building and a new park. . . . The Depot District will feature 138 new homes and 10 new commercial spaces. The plan and designs are the product of extensive conversation with community leaders and officials from the city, county, and state.
First and foremost, the Depot District will help relieve Hudson's housing crisis, as laid out in the city's Strategic Housing Action Plan, by providing both market-rate and affordable apartments in one-, two-, and three-bedroom configurations. Finally, households of all sizes and income levels will access high-quality housing in Hudson that they can afford.
Housing isn't the only challenge that Hudson faces, of course. Over the past year, we granted $100,000 to minority- and women-owned businesses, and we heard from business owners--over and over again--that Hudson needs affordable commercial spaces. So we are designating four of the new spaces for minority and women entrepreneurs with preferential rents.
The Depot District will also feature a new park and will be handicap accessible throughout. All told, the project will invest over $50 million into the Hudson and Columbia County economy. According to independent analysis, it will create 65 new, permanent jobs along with 347 additional jobs during construction.
The fact sheet accompanying the announcement includes the rather vague, uberurban rendering shown above, along with this information.
One wonders why the City is bothering to spend $30,000 to hire Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress to create an Affordable Housing Development Plan when Galvan is busy doing all the planning and developing for us.
Someone please stop them before it's too late. Oh wait, it's Galvan, they can't be told what to do. Damn! There goes the neighborhood!
ReplyDeleteWell, let’s see the details behind these rudimentary images. And, to be a broken record, parking? a miniscule number of working people in Hudson or Columbia County enjoy gainful, permanent employmnet without access to vehicle.
ReplyDeleteThis is beyond sad. The new mayor keeps hooking up with a millionaire developer, behind closed doors, to promote more undemocratic and beyond-scale building projects, while hiring more outside consultants to look at affordable housing when we just spent thousands of dollars on such a report and wasted time going after short-term rentals when there's no evidence that they have any impact on housing costs. It's time for Hudson to get democratic and start involving the community in its future, start engaging the people who live here in the discussion.
ReplyDeleteWho coined the phrase “Depot District “? Are we all required to now use that phrase?
ReplyDeleteYes, you must obey Galvan's rules. It is no longer N. 7th street, my friend!
DeleteWas 'Graft Patch' taken?
DeleteIt's like anything else. Use it often enough, and it sticks. Thurston Park, for example. I gave that name to the pocket park in the 200 block of Warren Street to identify it in the guide for a garden tour organized by Historic Hudson and the Hudson Opera House back in 1997. https://gossipsofrivertown.blogspot.com/2011/07/whats-behind-name.html Now, it's generally used. Promenade Hill Park is another example. Sheena Salvino started calling it Promenade Hill Park instead of just Promenade Hill. Now everyone seems to use that somewhat redundant name.
Delete"Depot District". Who says? No way. It looks totally out of context with Hudson's heritage. The 'depot' will vanish and a new city on top of a city will emerge. Say no.
DeleteIt's like some sort of monster that gets destroyed only to come back to life more ferociously and destructive than before. Weren't we jumping for joy when code enforcement supposedly sank this plan 6 months ago? And hasn't it grown more grotesque and insulting? The Galvanmonster arises from the grave to avenge its critics and control the future of little Hudson, whose leaders cower in its shadow.
ReplyDeleteCraig Haigh withdrew his objection to the proposal for 75 North Seventh Street after consulting with assistant city attorney Jeff Baker: https://gossipsofrivertown.blogspot.com/2020/12/following-up-75-north-seventh-street.html.
DeletePrecisely my point.
DeleteJeff Baker turns again.
DeleteFifty million but I’m willing to bet they’ll “need” a lengthy PILOT — so no money for taxes. Take, take, take ....
ReplyDeleteEvery time this project returns it grows. I wonder what tax exemptions or other giveaways are being sought. Again, will there be adequate parking? What was the reason for the code enforcement dept to withdraw their objections?
ReplyDeleteI would love to see what the "65 new, permanent jobs" are. What a load of malarkey.
ReplyDeleteGalvan definitely goes rogue but they still have to comply with Hudson zoning unless they get a variance. In Hudson Zoning Ordinance Attachment 325a, every dwelling unit requires an off-site parking space. I don’t recall them seeking a variance to that requirement with the previous scheme. It’s an interesting thought to continue some commercial up 7th St - the Thai restaurant is moving to the old Bagel Tyme space so maybe it could work.
ReplyDeleteIs Galvan’s latest proposal As-of-Right or are they requesting variances? I live around the corner and would love to see their site plan if they ever shared it. Thanks for covering this.
All offstreet parking requirements--both commercial and residential--were eliminated from the code by an amendment passed by the Common Council in May 2019. http://cms3.revize.com/revize/hudsonny/Common%20Council/Agendas%20Meeting%20Documents/2019/April/Zoning%20Amendment%20(Off%20Street%20Parking)%204.2019.pdf
DeleteInteresting, I had found the zoning ordinance on eCode360.com which usually has amendments and such. So no parking is required, do we know if any is planned?
DeleteThanks again.
For the plan proposed for 75 North Seventh, the expectation was that tenants would park on the street. That was an issue for some on the Common Council. They have released very little information about what they are now proposing, beyond that there will be 132 units in two buildings.
DeleteWell, the parking is an issue to look for in the site plan as it goes in front of the planning board - I agree the neighborhood can’t absorb that many new cars on the street but maybe they have some parking planned after all.
DeleteThat said, surface parking lots are eyesores and out of character with the neighborhood as well. The gray rendering shows five-story buildings which are taller than the neighborhood and most of Hudson’s three to four story height, but could be compatible if done well.
I have to wonder how the comments would be if the project was not Galvan Associates?
ReplyDeleteHate is so rampant within social media.
If there’s hate against Galvan it’s based on that organization’s repeated behavior over nearly 20 years. But I believe the emotion is more properly described as experienced-based distrust.
Delete"experienced-based mistrust" is a very good description of why there is appropriately, a great deal of mistrust. Many amongst us are exhausted by this T.Eric Galloway's bait and switch Enterprises.
DeleteIt's a game/obsession for him. How to never use any of his own money and get as much of taxpayers $$, be it City, County, State, or Fed. he can and then make sure he pays as little to no taxes, while we pay for this very wealthy person to use our Cities limited services for free and we not only pay for him, we suffer even more lack of services that he has usurped.
I am so sick of the lying, deception, the ineptitude, the absence of accountability. The many days and hours going on now for last 15 + yrs of my and friends time, we don't get paid for, or get that time back, just to try to protect our city from this piraha or cleaning up messes he has created through such piss poor or no planning
and no oversight.
What really bugs me lately, is seeing Dan Kent's name pop up with recipients of these grants for any housing issues. Dan Kent is Executive Director of Galvan and should always be identified as that, and then it needs to be explained why Galvan is involved.
BTW- These CAD or computer generated
pretty picture elevations are not to scale or reality based. Best to wait until you see actual measured and drawn, detailed elevations and blue prints and placement in surrounding neighborhoods and traffic studies. Also he owns plenty of space for parking.
I read all these comments and I cannot find any hate here. What I cannot understand is why any developer would plan such nice project without any parking. Asking this question is not hate. Doesn't Galvan own more properties adjacent to these plans, why wouldn't some of that space be allocated to parking in some form ? Why was eliminating the need for parking permitted by this City? Anyone who can add will infer that using the streets for parking will be grossly insufficient.
ReplyDeleteIf I've said it before I'll say it again, Parking. Whatever proposal by any entity, Galvan notwithstanding, this issue must not be ignored. Otherwise, aggravating an already aggrieved issue for Hudson. Residents, businesses, delivery companies and the legions of visitors shouldn't be confronted with wrangling over a parking spot. It's uncivil and even dangerous. I have been in this predicament several times. A friend, with her infant daughter in tow, had a dangerous experience in a Brooklyn residential area. Here's an example of a solution in tourist stretched Rhinebeck. The newly opened Mirbeau hotel(46 rooms), spa, restaurant has underground parking to augment it's own surface lots. Multi level parking garages are problematic but necessary. A design and safety challenge certainly. Who's up to the task?
ReplyDeleteCertainly no one at our City Hall is up to it. Better to leave it up to our friends at Galvan, the common man's friend. They won't let us down.
Delete