With Hudson, It's Always Something

Everything proposed in Hudson to sure to have its detractors, and the apartment building being proposed for Fairview Avenue between Parkwood and Oakwood boulevards is no exception. Last Thursday, the group proposing the building held an informational session in the back room of Wunderbar for residents of the Boulevards. The announcement of the event, shared on Facebook, indicated there would be "a short presentation followed by a Q&A session." It was probably hoped that this meeting would allay people's fears about a three-story, 30-unit apartment building abutting a neighborhood of single-family dwellings, but that seems not to have been the case. At the Planning Board meeting on Tuesday, there were still many fears and concerns voiced by residents whose houses are in close proximity to the proposed building.

Chip Verspyck, who lives at 5 Oakwood Boulevard, a property that abuts the site of the proposed building, expressed concern that the building would shadow his solar panels and his backyard. (The applicant agreed to do a shade simulation to determine the effect of the building on his property.) Verspyck also expressed concern about traffic trying to get on Fairview Avenue, people parking on his street, and the impact of the building on the sewer system, memorably commenting, "There's gonna be a ton of people living in this building, and that's a lot of shit."

Sean Allison, who lives at 13 Oakwood Boulevard, a house previously owned first by Christina Malisoff and then Ruth Moser, argued that Oakwood, Parkwood, and Glenwood boulevards are "designed neighborhoods"--"designed for the people who live there." He elaborated, "Every house has a driveway, every house has a garage, every house has parking. That's why there are no cars parked on the street." Allison objected to the idea of cars associated with the proposed apartment building being parked on his street. At various points, in his statement Allison called the proposed building a "tumor of a project," an "unbelievable eyesore," and an "absolutely malignant project." Allison maintained that there isn't a housing shortage in Hudson. "There's housing," he declared, "there's no money." He questioned specifically the need for market rate housing "in a town where the only job that people can get is bartending or working in one of the hotels." Allison had a great deal more to say, and all his comments can be heard here, beginning at 1:19:54.

Carmine "Cappy" Pierro, who is a cousin to Lou Pierro, the principal of the development group, also spoke during the public hearing. Although the address of the site of the proposed building was included in the litany of addresses Pierro recited as evidence of his standing in Hudson (Pierro moved to Taghkanic in 2013), he did not acknowledge having any financial interest in the project. Instead, reminding everyone of his past service on the Planning Board, Pierro talked about the zoning district and what was permitted in the General-Commercial District, declaring, "You could put almost anything there." Later he said, "That land could be a gas station right now." He reminded the Planning Board of all the projects with parking issues that the body had already approved. He concluded his statements by pointing out, "All the other housing projects in Hudson have PILOTs--payment in lieu of taxes. . . . This project is doing it on their own."

Michele Pierro, Lou Pierro's sister, who acknowledged her kinship to the applicant, claimed the project was "really done thinking about what would be best for the community." She talked about the Hudson City School District having trouble recruiting people to teach in Hudson because prospective teachers couldn't find a place to live. She asserted that this project was "giving young professionals a place to live."

All the public comments made about the proposed project can be heard here, beginning at 1:13:12.  

The drama surrounding this proposal, which the Planning Board has dubbed "the Boulevards," demonstrates how relationships can change in a small city. In November 2019, the Planning Board denied site plan approval to Cappy Pierro's plan to create a self storage facility on a portion of the land now the site of the proposed apartment building. 

At that time, Walter Chatham was the chair of the Planning Board. Pierro reacted to being denied site plan approval by telling Chatham, with some hostility, "You're gonna be gone in sixty-two days," intimating that he had some inside knowledge about the intentions of then mayor-elect Kamal Johnson. (Appointing the chairs of the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals is one of the mayor's duties.) Today, in this plan for the same location, in which Pierro seems to have some interest, Walter Chatham is the architect designing the building.

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