Two Plans for the Dunn Warehouse

On Tuesday night, the Common Council heard presentations of two of the three proposals received for the Dunn Warehouse. 

Photo: Matt McGhee

The first presentation was made by Caitlin Baiada and Ben Fain. Their plan for the building is essentially the same plan proposed by CGS Group (later known as Dunn & Done LLC) in 2023. That plan, in which the City of Hudson retained ownership of the building, was abandoned earlier this year because of difficulty securing financing for the project. Baiada said Dunn & Done was unable to secure financing because they were not the owners of the building. Councilmember Margaret Morris (First Ward) explained that lenders wanted, not unreasonably, the owner of the building--i.e., the City of Hudson--to cosign on loan agreements, but the City declined to do so. When the Dunn & Done LLC plan failed, and the City issued a revised RFP for the redevelopment of the building, Baiada found a new partner in Ben Fain, who told the Council he "fell in love with Caitlin's vision for the Dunn" and described himself as a "spoiled nice guy who can fund something like this."

The Baiada/Fain plan involves two commercial spaces for lease to waterfront-related local businesses; food and beverage space for lease to a casual restaurant or concession; an event space available to rent for private events and offered at little to no cost for community programming; outdoor recreational amenities. 

Baiada told the Council, "Our vision is for a healthy, vibrant, and diverse waterfront for all, with Dunn serving as a welcoming community hub. . . . We believe the success of the waterfront's future depends on a fair and equitable access and use of Dunn Warehouse." She pointed out that the work already done by Dunn & Done could be transferred to this project and a team had already been assembled to do the work. She also presented a timeline for the project, which would see it completed in 24 months.

The second presentation was made by Kaitlin Armocida and Will Thibeault of Hudson Brewing Company. Their plan is to move and expand their operation from its current location at The Warehouse.  

Armocida said their goal was to create a space that "positively impacts the community, a space that is welcoming to everyone." She spoke of the Dunn building as "the front porch to waterfront park."

The brewery's plans for the building include creating an ADA compliant second story area, totally private and separate from the taproom, to be used for community and private events. Armocida stressed Hudson Brewing Company's commitment to the community, saying, "We consider our community work at the core of what we do." She said the brewery has been in business for ten years, and in those ten years they have "built long-standing relationships with just about every nonprofit in and around the town and host events with the purpose of uplifting and supporting their work." She mentioned as examples Hudson Family Reunion, Operation Unite NY, and the Hudson Rotary Club. (It should acknowledged that Hudson Brewing Company's community commitment includes advertising on The Gossips of Rivertown.) 

Hudson Brewing Company currently employs ten people but with the expansion hopes to increase the number of employees. Armocida said that all but one of the employees live within ten minutes of Hudson, and half of them, including the owner, were born and raised on Hudson. She concluded, "It's hard to get a more local local business."

Armocida spoke of "creating a physical connection between the waterfront space as it exists now and the other commerce in the area." She explained, "Our hope is that one of the benefits of the project will be to connect those two spaces in a way that feels really cohesive and organic." 

Concluding her presentation, Armocida stated, "We are not asking for a PILOT with this project," and assured the Council, "We feel confident in our ability to execute this project."

The two presentations can be heard here, beginning at 8:06 and ending at 30:50.

The committee that reviewed the proposals has recommended that the Dunn Warehouse be sold to Hudson Brewing Company. The Common Council--with a new Council president and three new members--will vote on the sale of the building in January. Two of the three new councilmembers--Henry Haddad (First Ward) and Jason Foster (Third Ward)--were present at the meeting on Tuesday. The Council is not bound by the committee's recommendation, but Council president Tom DePietro advised, "When one proposal has a higher price than the other, we have to have very good reason for coming up and accepting the lower proposal." The Register-Star revealed last week, rather inappropriately, that the price offered by Hudson Brewing Company was $500,000.

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