In February, Gossips reported there had been eleven responses to the City's RFQ (request for qualifications) for a development partner to help implement the Affordable Housing Development Plan. At that time, a committee made up of Mayor Kamal Johnson, Council president Tom DePietro, Commissioner of Public Works Peter Bujanow, First Ward councilmember Art Frick, Mayor's Aide Michael Hofmann, and Housing Justice Director Michelle Tullo had narrowed the choices down to four: - RUPCO
- MPACT Collective and Pennrose
- Home Leasing
- Kearney Realty & Development Group and Hudson River Housing
Since the meeting that took place in February, at which it was decided they would hear presentations from the four groups, the committee has held no public meetings. Last night, at the Common Council meeting, Kearney Realty & Development Group and Hudson River Housing, obviously those chosen by the committee to be the City's development partner, presented their plans for constructing new housing in Hudson. The plans involve three projects on three different City-owned parcels.
Two houses, each with a rental unit, are proposed for City-owned property located on Rossman Avenue. These are intended for affordable homeownership.
A building providing mixed income rental units is proposed for what is now a playing field at Charles Williams Park. An audience member who asked was assured that repurposing this parkland for an apartment building with parking for residents did not interfere with any of the plans to upgrade the underused Charles Williams Park, which so far seem only to involve creating an outdoor Fitness Court.
A mixed use building with apartments and commercial space is proposed for the southwest corner of Fourth and State streets, the vacant lot owned by the City of Hudson (once the location of the Fourth Street School) which is now being used by the county as a parking lot.
In talking about this building, which oddly appears in the rendering to be oriented toward Long Alley rather than either Fourth Street or State Street, the representative from Kearney talked about a workforce development plan and a daycare center. He also mentioned an internship program in real estate development. That a daycare center is part of the proposal for this site suggests that the Adirondack Community Development proposal for the John L. Edwards site across the street, which included a new building for the Hudson Daycare Center, may be off the table. Nothing has been heard of that project since last December. COPYRIGHT 2022 CAROLE OSTERINK
Where are the jobs coming from for this "workforce" housing. It is a sound byte but are there any jobs for all these people ?
ReplyDeleteThe population of Hudson is not going up. What you should also be asking is where are all these people coming from? What is the benefit to the existing residents of increasing the population? If there is no benefit to the existing residents why is local government promoting this? How will adding more low and moderate income people to the population improve the quality of life for the existing residents? If it doesn't, why is local government promoting this?
ReplyDeleteWell, Kamal has to justify creating his Housing Justice Department and paying Michelle to work in that dark, little office next to his, doesn't he?
ReplyDelete