Later today, the Hudson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners holds its monthly meeting. In advance of that, Eu Ting-Zambuto of Mountco, the development partner for HHA's ambitious redevelopment plan, announced that the Q&A section about the project on the HHA website had been updated. This means of informing the public is a little annoying because it is not clear what is the new information. It is also not possible to know if any information previously posted has been amended in any way. Nevertheless, it probably meets the minimum standard for informing the public, which seems to be the goal of this group.
One thing of interest in the current Q&A is a section on the development process. The following information is provided in response to the question: "Can you please explain the real estate development process and where we are in the process?"
As in every real estate development project, there are a series of milestones—each requiring the review and approval of various parties. These parties include the developer, investors, architects, engineers, legal counsel, environmental consultants, and various government agencies. In an affordable housing project, complexities are layered on as construction financing availability often dictates the timeline. Below is a recap of milestones along with a proposed completion schedule. The processes set forth below overlap—a process does not require the completion of one process for the next to begin, but all processes will be completed before construction.
Each milestone in the predevelopment process is critical to ensure that the project is feasible, financially viable, compliant with all regulations, and supported by the community and investors.
- Financial Feasibility Studies—1 to 12 months—25% completion
- Approvals Needed: development team, construction lender, investor, and financing agency
- Site Due Diligence/Sit Feasibility Studies—1 to 12 months—25% completion
- Approvals Needed: development team, construction lender, investor, and financing agency, architects, engineers, legal counsel, environmental consultants
- First Conceptual Design and Planning—3 months—100% completion
- Approvals Needed: development team, financing agency, municipality
- Tenant input considered
- Community input considered
- State input considered
- Second Conceptual Design and Planning—3 months—0% completion
- Approvals Needed: development team, financing agency, municipality
- Site Plan Approvals—6 to 12 months—0% completion
- Zoning/Land Use—Demap Street—separate feasibility studies 6 to 12 months—0% completion
- Environmental Reviews—12 to 18 months—25% completion
- Approvals Needed: construction lender, investor, architects, engineers, legal counsel, environmental consultants, City Planning Board, City/State SEQRA
- Financing—protracted and ongoing—10% completed
- Approvals Needed: development team, construction lender, investor, and financing agency; HUD
- PILOT/IDA—6 months—0%
- Design Development (plans and specs)—6 to 8 months—0% completed
- Approvals Needed: development team, construction lender, investor, and financing agency, engineers, architects, general contractor, Buildings Department
- Permitting and Entitlements—4 months—0% completed
- Approvals Needed: Various local government departments (Buildings, fire, public works)
- Additional processes include legal processes of formalizing representations and agreements, securing insurance, securing access agreements as necessary, etc.
According to this information, the only phase of the development process that has been completed is "First Conceptual Design and Planning." One wonders who representing the "municipality" gave approval to the conceptual design. Interestingly, it indicates "Community input considered" although no community input was ever sought.
There are two more bits of information that seem to have been added in the most recent update. These two bullet points appear on page 3:
- A Request for Public Comment can be accessed by the public under the Doing Business Tab on hudsonhousingauthority.com
- Redevelopment Open House with Work Session on Green Space, Date To Be Confirmed, Proposed, Tuesday, September 17, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at HHA Bliss Towers Community Room.
COPYRIGHT 2024 CAROLE OSTERINK
As someone living less than half a block from the proposed development, I was also surprised to see that community input was considered 100% complete. Most people living in the neighborhood to this day have no idea that this proposed development even exists and certainly were not consulted for any input. I suppose what is meant by this is that community input was considered by HHA, and after consideration was determined to be unnecessary and irrelevant.
ReplyDeleteIf the public ever found, or finds the 'Request for Information' on Page 3 of the forms, fills it out and sends or sent it in, I'll be mightly surprised.
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