From Civic Center to Hub

In 2019, the City did a feasibility study on moving City Hall to 360 State Street, the former John L. Edwards Elementary School, which the Hudson City School District has been trying to sell since 2018.

The building is 90,000 square feet, and even when all the offices and functions of City Hall, the Code Enforcement Office, the Youth Department, and the Senior Center were moved into the building, there were still 20,000 to 30,000 square feet of building available for other unidentified uses. For reasons not entirely explained, the plan was never pursued.

Then came Adirondack Community Development, which in June 2021 proposed adapting the building for housing. Their original plan involved adding a five-story addition to the building.

By December 2021, Adirondack was proposing a different plan, this one involving the demolition of the 1964 school building, which they originally said was not feasible because it would cost "millions and millions," and the construction of a new building in its footprint. 

In the past year and a half, nothing more has been heard from Adirondack Community Development, and the building is still on the market for slightly less than $4 million. It seems, however, that Hudson Development Corporation (HDC) has taken up the idea of making the building some kind of civic center, which they are referring to as "Hudson Hub." Chris Jones, president of the HDC board, spoke of the plan at the yesterday's HDC meeting. 

As before, the plan involves moving the City's administrative offices and meeting rooms, now located at 520 Warren Street, into the building. In addition, Jones reported that she had spoken with Carlee Drummer, president of Columbia-Greene Community College, who thought an outshoot of C-GCC might be established in the building, offering some nondegree programs. Jones also reported that Talbott & Arding were enthusiastic about doing training there. The building has a very large kitchen. Jones indicated that the Youth Department was also interested, because they are "bursting at the seams" with programs for younger children and older youth. Jones told the board that she had looked into New York State grants and reported that there is not one idea for reusing the building that doesn't have money available.

Jones told the board she had spoken with Mark Thaler of Lacey Thaler Reilly Wilson, the architectural firm that did the feasibility study for the City in 2019, who is willing to make a presentation to the HDC board about the work done four years ago.

When Jones said they were still in the "big idea" phase and were not ready to talk about financials, Mayor Kamal Johnson, who serves ex officio on the HDC board, commented, "For us, as the City, the financial piece is the most important." He then asked who would have ownership of the building. John Friedman, who is a member of the HDC board, responded, "We are looking more conceptually," but added, "Whoever takes on most risk will be the owner."

HDC has asked the HCSD Board of Education to give them six months to explore the possibility of redeveloping the former school building as a "Hudson Hub."

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