Thanks, Sam, for a well-written reminder that the Catskills, the Hudson Valley, and the Capital Region are going to see significant change in the coming years.
Historically, small communities like Hudson have been run by a cabal of the good ol’ boys, a self-serving but serviceable lot who kept the status quo running, at least for those in their good graces. (It should be noted that Hudson may have changed the faces in City Hall, but the managerial style has been, sadly, much the same at best, dangerously inept at other times an unhealthy dose of pompous populism and too much leeway given to wealthy ‘developers' with little in the way of long-term planning.)
While I find his argument that solar farms are an urgent need that supersedes a community’s desire to preserve green space a bit reductive (there may well be other avenues to explore to lower Hudson’s carbon footprint), Pratt is ultimately correct in the thrust of his piece. Whether you are a recent arrival or part of a family that has lived here for generations, you have a responsibility to pay attention to and engage in the community and be a responsible steward for future generations.
Ultimately, this means advocating for meaningful charter reforms that will put Hudson under the care of a city manager to facilitate smart growth and incentivize development in a way that doesn’t drive out the middle class, and does create opportunity for economic advancement as the changing tide rolls in.
The same thing happened in North Jersey and Long Island which were both rural areas over run by growth and are now a congested mess. There is no such thing as smart growth. The only way to prevent this is to resist all growth. Build nothing new and convert any unused open space and lots to park.
I think you're setting yourself up for disappointment there. If there is a table and you want a seat at it, best to come prepared with an ideal scenario that's actually achievable.
Sam's piece is good food for thought. I wonder sometimes who we're "saving" our open space for. Surely it's future generations who will need clean air and water, and good agricultural land. It strikes me that he's arguing for urban development, and cautioning against suburban sprawl. It's an argument going back some 50 years, and one to heed.
A very good poignant piece that is dear to my heart as well. The glacial deposits are indeed steady. If you pay attention to real estate listings, it's pretty evident how much inroad is going on. There are spurts and we are definitely in an extended one since the pandemic. Lots of land for sale that are carved out of large parcels. Most have been for single home development but chopping up land is not healthy for wildlife and flora. Balance is disrupted and species are threatened. This is worrisome for those who care about such things. To preserve is a fraught endeavor as Sam points out. Us humans need to care about it first and make sacrifices to implement it. Scenic Hudson has been quiet lately and Sam explains. This is a perfect example what we're up against. And agreeing with Sam wholeheartedly, the pressure south of us is intense. Just drive south of Rhinebeck and you'll be introduced to reality. The county can be miles of sprawl in no time if so so restrictions are not reinforced and extended. And don't we need open space to regenerate our air more than ever? Where the crowds can visit and appreciate what's left of nature? So who's up for this? I'm hoping the young moving up excited about the open space are motivated. But that's wishing and hoping, it's worthless without implementation.
It's a good thing, not a bad thing, that cities like Hudson are desirable and attract people who want to live there and visit. The issue is how to manage the demand. It should be managed by promoting smart, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use walkable neighborhoods that can accommodate more people. Reform the zoning laws, eliminate parking minimums, allow mixed-use developments, allow multi-family buildings, eliminate setback requirements and minimum lot sizes, bring in responsible developers. If you don't build any new housing, then that just pushes up prices for the existing housing. The same people just bid up the price of the limited housing stock. If your zoning only permits sprawl, then you're just going to build ugly strip malls and concrete parking lots (the Greenpoint area around Walmart, Lowe's, etc). With sprawl, you have even less nature and fewer farms, because poor land use means green areas are just bulldozed over to build massive parking lots. Hudson and other small towns should be welcoming growth and visitors, and they should be creating more walkable, pedestrian-friendly mixed-use neighborhoods. This could continue to be a really amazing place in the coming years, even with far more people coming here to live and visit. -Mark
Agree with everything you say, except accommodating more people. More people are the problem, better to let them visit and then go home. The job of local government is to represent and protect the interest of the people living here, and adding more people, more traffic and cars, more congestion, noise and pollution, it not in the interest of the people already living here. Local government should not be in the business of creating more housing and importing people from other areas. If rents are too high, regulate rents. Building more housing and importing more people isn't serving the existing residents in anyway and isn't going to reduce or lower housing costs for people now renting in Hudson.
Parag Khanna and others have written about changing migration patterns and reconfiguration of population centers to urban corridors. Hudson and the Capital Region lie at the juncture of the NYC-Montreal corridor, as well the Toronto-Boston corridor. As climate change forces migration into the area, it makes sense for communities to educate and prepare for change. The pandemic disrupted our work patterns, to what ultimate end I certainly can’t say, but building out the transportation, housing, and information infrastructure to create thriving communities and preserve open space requires foresight, expertise and discipline far beyond what the current crop of municipal leaders have shown they are able to provide.
Thanks, Sam, for a well-written reminder that the Catskills, the Hudson Valley, and the Capital Region are going to see significant change in the coming years.
ReplyDeleteHistorically, small communities like Hudson have been run by a cabal of the good ol’ boys, a self-serving but serviceable lot who kept the status quo running, at least for those in their good graces. (It should be noted that Hudson may have changed the faces in City Hall, but the managerial style has been, sadly, much the same at best, dangerously inept at other times an unhealthy dose of pompous populism and too much leeway given to wealthy ‘developers' with little in the way of long-term planning.)
While I find his argument that solar farms are an urgent need that supersedes a community’s desire to preserve green space a bit reductive (there may well be other avenues to explore to lower Hudson’s carbon footprint), Pratt is ultimately correct in the thrust of his piece. Whether you are a recent arrival or part of a family that has lived here for generations, you have a responsibility to pay attention to and engage in the community and be a responsible steward for future generations.
Ultimately, this means advocating for meaningful charter reforms that will put Hudson under the care of a city manager to facilitate smart growth and incentivize development in a way that doesn’t drive out the middle class, and does create opportunity for economic advancement as the changing tide rolls in.
The same thing happened in North Jersey and Long Island which were both rural areas over run by growth and are now a congested mess. There is no such thing as smart growth. The only way to prevent this is to resist all growth. Build nothing new and convert any unused open space and lots to park.
ReplyDeleteI think you're setting yourself up for disappointment there. If there is a table and you want a seat at it, best to come prepared with an ideal scenario that's actually achievable.
DeleteSam's piece is good food for thought. I wonder sometimes who we're "saving" our open space for. Surely it's future generations who will need clean air and water, and good agricultural land. It strikes me that he's arguing for urban development, and cautioning against suburban sprawl. It's an argument going back some 50 years, and one to heed.
ReplyDeleteA very good poignant piece that is dear to my heart as well. The glacial deposits are indeed steady. If you pay attention to real estate listings, it's pretty evident how much inroad is going on. There are spurts and we are definitely in an extended one since the pandemic. Lots of land for sale that are carved out of large parcels. Most have been for single home development but chopping up land is not healthy for wildlife and flora. Balance is disrupted and species are threatened. This is worrisome for those who care about such things. To preserve is a fraught endeavor as Sam points out. Us humans need to care about it first and make sacrifices to implement it. Scenic Hudson has been quiet lately and Sam explains. This is a perfect example what we're up against. And agreeing with Sam wholeheartedly, the pressure south of us is intense. Just drive south of Rhinebeck and you'll be introduced to reality. The county can be miles of sprawl in no time if so so restrictions are not reinforced and extended. And don't we need open space to regenerate our air more than ever? Where the crowds can visit and appreciate what's left of nature? So who's up for this? I'm hoping the young moving up excited about the open space are motivated. But that's wishing and hoping, it's worthless without implementation.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good thing, not a bad thing, that cities like Hudson are desirable and attract people who want to live there and visit. The issue is how to manage the demand. It should be managed by promoting smart, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use walkable neighborhoods that can accommodate more people. Reform the zoning laws, eliminate parking minimums, allow mixed-use developments, allow multi-family buildings, eliminate setback requirements and minimum lot sizes, bring in responsible developers. If you don't build any new housing, then that just pushes up prices for the existing housing. The same people just bid up the price of the limited housing stock. If your zoning only permits sprawl, then you're just going to build ugly strip malls and concrete parking lots (the Greenpoint area around Walmart, Lowe's, etc). With sprawl, you have even less nature and fewer farms, because poor land use means green areas are just bulldozed over to build massive parking lots. Hudson and other small towns should be welcoming growth and visitors, and they should be creating more walkable, pedestrian-friendly mixed-use neighborhoods. This could continue to be a really amazing place in the coming years, even with far more people coming here to live and visit. -Mark
ReplyDeleteAgree with everything you say, except accommodating more people. More people are the problem, better to let them visit and then go home. The job of local government is to represent and protect the interest of the people living here, and adding more people, more traffic and cars, more congestion, noise and pollution, it not in the interest of the people already living here. Local government should not be in the business of creating more housing and importing people from other areas. If rents are too high, regulate rents. Building more housing and importing more people isn't serving the existing residents in anyway and isn't going to reduce or lower housing costs for people now renting in Hudson.
DeleteParag Khanna and others have written about changing migration patterns and reconfiguration of population centers to urban corridors. Hudson and the Capital Region lie at the juncture of the NYC-Montreal corridor, as well the Toronto-Boston corridor. As climate change forces migration into the area, it makes sense for communities to educate and prepare for change. The pandemic disrupted our work patterns, to what ultimate end I certainly can’t say, but building out the transportation, housing, and information infrastructure to create thriving communities and preserve open space requires foresight, expertise and discipline far beyond what the current crop of municipal leaders have shown they are able to provide.
ReplyDeleteHudson needs charter reform and a city manager.