The Albany Times Union is now touting its coverage of the Hudson Valley, and it appears that Roger Hannigan Gilson, who once reported for the Register-Star and for a time published the news blog The Other Hudson Valley, has been assigned to Hudson. His latest article about Hudson was prompted by last Wednesday's meeting of the Hudson IDA (Industrial Development Agency), at which DJH Advisors presented their financial analysis of the PILOTs sought by the Galvan Foundation for the two apartment buildings proposed for North Seventh Street: "Hudson nonprofit, Common Council in dispute over affordable housing tax breaks."
Great job, Roger! And a good gig too, which you deserve.
ReplyDeleteNewcomers to Hudson wouldn't recall Mr. Gilson's excellent work for the Register-Star, back when out "newspaper of record" actually tolerated investigative journalism.
About Galvan and its "at least 89 parcels in the city," I wish someone would report the organization's total number of vacant properties for which it is paying the City's vacancy tax.
That is, if they, or any vacant property owners, are even being charged the fee (not a tax). The enforcement of the vacant building rule doesn't seem to be happening much, if at all. Bill Huston
Delete"Fee," not tax. Thanks for the clarification.
DeleteIt's rumored that Galvan pays almost nothing in vacancy fees even though many of its properties lie vacant. If true, then there's likely an exploitable loophole in the law.
While the controversy rages on about Galvan's proposed new units, why isn't anyone discussing the empty units they already own? What am I missing?
take a look at the two houses at the corner of Prospect and 5th, 70 and 72 N. 5th. Vacant for at least the past 5 years that I have been watching, the roof is well past due for a replacement. No one is ever working on them, just mowing the lawns occasionally. How is it in Galvan's interest to let them rot? They were once perfectly good houses.
DeleteTo qualify for the vacancy fee (or get on the vacant building list in the first place), the house or building must not only be vacant, but have at least one code violation. A decent-looking BUT VACANT HOUSE with no code violations can sit and sit and sit as long as the owner wants to and they will not be penalized for it. This is the law that the CC passed a few years ago, at least how I understand it and how Craig Haigh explained it to me, and I think it misses the mark. Bill Huston
Thanks for the next clarification.
DeleteA Galvan-owned house on one side of me was in violation for at least the time it took to resolve the problem after an order was issued by the city. But that took years! As far as I could see, the order meant nothing to Galvan unless it was paying penalties the whole time (yeah right).
On another side of me, a vacant Galvan-owned house is in such disrepair that bricks are raining down from the crumbling chimney. For years the grand but nearly collapsed front steps have been cordoned off. Until the HPD cleared it out, it was used as a crack house. The backyard is a nightmare, overrun by invasive species spreading their rhizomes in every direction.
Does the organization pay a vacancy fee? It should. And Galvan should also apologize to all my neighbors. It's disgusting. Galvan is disgusting.
Last year I attempted to find out, from our CEO, what property owners on the long vacant building list were paying the $1,000 annual fee. CEO didn't have that information, saying that would be in the office of the city court where the fines are assessed and collected. I was told by the City Court that that information was not available to the public. At a recent CC meeting, Craig Haigh, in a rare CC appearance, showed us that ONE property owner (out of over 30 on the list) had either been fined or had paid the fee (I don't recall which it was). B Huston
DeleteThe Galvan business model is to keep the poor in the ghetto where he does not live so that he can reap millions off their backs while sticking the costs to the naive liberals who actual care. greased by retainers to all involved, its seems to work over and over again, just as long as he is not paying. he just preys on community guilt.
ReplyDeletehope that is not too harsh, but it really does not help those trapped in the cycle of welfare and subsidies, and it hurts the town itself.
Another question. Is Bliss towers in danger of being condemned, like the buildings in Miami. ?? At this point 25 % of the apartments are uninhabitable.
ReplyDelete