People in government have been talking about doing a new comprehensive plan for years now. On Friday, the City issued an RFP (request for proposal) for a consulting firm to carry out the task. The statement on the City of Hudson website states: "The City of Hudson seeks proposals from qualified consultants to facilitate a thorough community planning process and create a thoughtful and innovation Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan will focus on the City's future with a strong emphasis on land use, inclusive development, and carbon neutrality."
The City's current comprehensive plan, which was adopted by the Common Council in 2002, can be found here.
The City's last Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2002. Its first goal was "Protect the Traditional Character of Hudson's Downtown and Neighborhoods," with objectives focused on historic preservation and design. The primacy of this goal reflects the priorities of the groups whose voices were most represented in the last planning process. The intact historic architecture of Hudson is a community asset; however, this has also led to residential and commercial gentrification over the last two decades that have in turn led to increased housing expenses and displacement of residents. Hudson has historically had an Area Median Income roughly 50% lower than that of Columbia County. While the median income has been rising in the area, this has also been at the expense of residents who had to move out. Hudson is a majority renter city, so renters feel the squeeze of increased prices first, as well as the lack of housing units due to conversion to short-term rentals or vacation homes. The pandemic only heightened this trend, especially as Hudson is located on the Amtrak line; in 2021 The New York Times cited Hudson as the place that experienced the largest percentage of net incoming residents in the country due to the pandemic. This demographic shift in a short period of time has led to conflicting visions of how the City should develop.
The entire RFP can be read here.
The RFP indicates that proposals are due on Thursday, July 13, and are to be submitted "Attn: Comprehensive Plan RFP Review Committee." Who comprises that committee has not been revealed, but since the RFP indicates, "Electronic copies can be emailed to Common Council President Tom DePietro at councilpres@cityofhudson.org," it's pretty certain DePietro is part of the committee. The RFP sets forth the following schedule for developing a new comprehensive plan.
- Project Launch: Fall 2023
- Public Engagement: Early 2024
- First Draft: Late 2024
- Final Draft: Early 2025
What an absolute waste of time and money. Almost every suggestion in the old Plan has yet to even be started. Take the IMPROVE THE PEDESTRIAN STREETSCAPE section to "repair and maintain sidewalks," "improving crosswalks" more "pedestrian amenities," and "landscape edges," among other suggestions. None of this has been done. How about we get these issues resolved before writing another Plan that will just repeat the same old suggestions no one seems to know what to do with. This is just dumb.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it makes City Hall look like they are busy doing good work to improve the city, so the Mayor has something to show for his $75,000 salary. A plan, you say? So what, that's the easy part. How about you actually DO SOMETHING WITH THE ORIGINAL PLAN instead of paying someone to write another one? Does that make too much sense? Why are the sidewalks still an absolute mess? Did City Hall not actually read the old plan? Would they bother to read the new one?
Sam Pratt submitted this comment by email:
ReplyDeleteI was on the Plan’s Core Technical Support Group. Here are some other names that were involved with that Group and the Advisory Steering Committee:
Rick Scalera
Rev. Ronald Grant
Bessie Buie
Mary Anne Lemmerman
Mike Vertetis
Don Tillson
Bart Delaney
Gail Grandinetti
Jeff Yates
Jeanne Porpa
John Porreca
Robert Smith
Estocia Berry
Is the author of this RFP prepared to go to each of these people (those who are still with us) and claim that all they cared about was historic preservation and gentrifying Hudson?
P.S. The Plan was passed by the Aldermen and signed by the Mayor. The Council as I recall included Quintin Cross, Staley Keith, Lyle Shook, Kathy Harter, Doc Donahue, and others. There were virtually no “new” people in elected positions back then.
P.P.S. The Comp Plan was drafted by consultants who were working simultaneously for St. Lawrence Cement (despite community opposition). They inserted some stuff that no one on any committee wanted, yet somehow reappeared in the final printed version.