A Dog's Guide to Winter Walk

If you plan to attend Winter Walk with your humans, be sure to take them to 441 Warren Street, where folks from the Hudson Dog Park will be serving up pup cups--made with the good whipped cream meant specifically for dogs. 

If you have to stay home, make sure your humans to visit the Hudson Dog Park table to get you a yogurt-dipped Milk Bone from Vasilow's--yum!

While they are there, they can show their support for the awesome oasis for dogs that is the Hudson Dog Park. 

Celebrate the Winter Solstice

Olana is once again offering the opportunity to celebrate the Winter Solstice and welcome the returning of the light.

The Olana Partnership and New York State Parks invite the community to join in celebrating the changing season during its annual Winter Solstice Celebration at Olana State Historic Site. Visit the site on Saturday, December 20, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. to experience the Hudson Valley's beautiful winter landscape through free indoor and outdoor activities and events.

The Winter Solstice Celebration will include free access to the historic interiors, a bonfire, seasonal storytelling for families, a winter choir performance by Catskill High School musicians, refreshments for purchase from Citiot in Catskill, a special visit from everyone's favorite miniature donkey, Hank (back by popular demand), and much more! Special events will take place throughout the afternoon at both the Frederic Church Center for Art & Landscape and the East Lawn near the historic house.

Nature Sarah will lead family friendly, drop-in nature walks along Olana's historic carriage roads. She will also lead hands-on activities designed to give audiences of all ages an understanding of the science of snow and ice and a deeper appreciation for winter weather.

The Olana Partnership's educators will be facilitating winter-themed art activities throughout the day in the Wagon House Education Center. The educators will also gather around the bonfire for a special book reading focusing on how cultures from around the world celebrate the winter solstice. The story hour will be provided in English and Spanish. . . .

The Catskill cafe Citiot will be on site providing seasonal refreshments like hot cocoa, coffee, and delicious baked goods to get visitors in the winter spirit. Nine Pin Ciders, also based in Catskill, will be providing full and half pours of everyone's favorite Hudson Valley hard cider. Non-alcoholic sparkling cider will be available as well.

Discover the global treasures of Olana's Main House interior in your own time for free throughout this special community event. Enjoy free access to Olana's historic interiors during this self-guided opportunity. House entry will be available on a first come, first served basis.

Generous support for Olana's Winter Solstice Celebration is provided by Art Bridges Foundation's Access for All program. To learn more, visit OLANA.org/solstice.

Clarification from HBCi

Two weeks ago, Gossips shared the news that there was to be a roundtable with representatives of Bard College on Tuesday, December 9, to discuss the Galvan Foundation's gift of its Hudson real estate holdings to Bard. Needless to say, many people were interested in attending, and the limited space at the Park Theater filled up quickly. What was not made clear in any of the information available about the roundtable was that it was intended only for business owners, so instead of making arrangements for the event to be livestreamed, which would make it available to anyone interested in the impact this move by Galvan will have on our little city, people who have registered for the event but who are not business owners are being asked to give up their space so business owners can attend. The following appeal was distributed this morning: 

Dear Community Members,

Thank you for your RSVP to the upcoming Hudson-Bard roundtable. We're grateful for the strong interest in this conversation and the care our community is bringing to this opportunity.

I want to take a moment to share an important clarification about the scope of our upcoming roundtable, it is specifically intended for Hudson's business owners and members of the Hudson business community. The purpose of this event is to open a dialogue between Bard College and the local business community, specifically focusing on the impact of Galvan's real-estate gift to commercial property and our Hudson businesses.

We understand that some attendees who RSVP'd may not be part of the Hudson business community and we kindly ask that you release your spot so we can ensure space for those the event was designed to serve. We truly appreciate your understanding.

A forum for discussing residential impacts and properties included in the gift will be addressed in an upcoming public event in early 2026 at an appropriate venue. This will provide Hudson residents and the broader community with an opportunity to understand the full scope and potential impact of the gift as it is finalized. Please look to Bard's Communications Office for updates on that public event.

We look forward to creating a productive, informed conversation with Bard's leadership, one that supports transparency, collaboration, and a strong future for Hudson's business community.

Thank you again for your interest and engagement. Hudson's strength has always come from people who care deeply about this place, and we appreciate your commitment to staying informed during this important transition.

Best,

William S. Blowers

President & Membership Director

Hudson Business Coalition (HBCi)

Looking Forward to Winter Walk

Winter Walk happens this Saturday, December 6, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. This year, some new features have been added, which are described in the following press release.

The Foundry at Hudson which has partnered with the City of Hudson to produce this year's Winter Walk announces new transportation options for visitors to the beloved street festival which will feature over 50 attractions and conclude with fireworks.

For the first time, the festival has arranged for additional satellite parking to be available on the campus of Montgomery C. Smith Elementary School, 102 Harry Howard Ave. Visitors to the festival who choose to take advantage of the ample parking at the elementary school lot will be able to take a free shuttle from the elementary school parking lot to Warren Street sponsored by Johnston Transportation. The shuttle will run in a loop all evening from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. transporting visitors to and from Winter Walk.

The Foundry and the City also announce the addition of an accessibility "Slay Ride" to the Winter Walk festival. This "Slay Ride" is a holiday decorated six-person golf cart which has been donated to the festival by W&B Golf Carts. The drivers of the "Slay Ride" are sponsored by OUT Hudson. The golf cart will travel up and down Warren Street throughout the festival transporting the elderly, or those who require assistance traveling the length of the street. It will stop at each intersection and for anyone who flags it down.

Winter Walk 2025, which takes place this year on December 6 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Hudson's historic Warren Street, will feature over 50 attractions and performers, 34 street vendors, and at least 75 shops open late. At 5 p.m., the festival will begin with a colorful procession down Warren Street featuring all the artists performing at the festival. For the first time, the procession will include extraordinary large-scale illuminated puppets designed by Processional Arts Workshop and built and carried by community members.

As last year, Winter Walk will feature two performance stages with performers who are both local to the region and New York City. On one stage, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus will perform feats of acrobatics and clowning along with Forro the the Dark, a percussive ensemble from Brooklyn performing music from Brazil. Two bands from the Capital Region will be featured on the other Winter Walk stage, including the Powerhouse Funk Band performing funk and pop hits. They'll share the stage with Alex Torres and His Latin Orchestra, a 12-piece ensemble performing upbeat dance music.

Over 30 Warren Street shops are participating in the traditional Winter Walk Window Decorating Contest by decorating their windows in elaborate and quirky ways to celebrate the holiday season. Awards celebrating some of the most outstanding windows will be given out by a special Winter Walk Committee the night of December 5. As in past years, festival attendees can stroll the length of Warren Street and just enjoy the late night shopping in the stores that are open late.

Information about all the parking options for Winter Walk as well as an online interactive map of the festival can be found at winterwalk2025.org.

The name "Slay Ride" is undoubtedly intentional and not, as a reader suggested to me, a misspelling of sleigh, but it does seem odd that a conveyance meant for Boomers (and even older folk) should be given a name whose cleverness relies on a Gen Z understanding of the word slay.

Surprising News

The Times Union reports today that Lil' Deb's Oasis is for sale: "Lil' Deb's Oasis seeking buyer as owner moves on after 10 years." According to the article, chef-owner Carla Kaya Perez-Gallardo announced on Instagram this morning that she is stepping away at the end of the year and is seeking a buyer for the restaurant. Lil' Deb's Oasis will continue to operate, however, under the management of its current staff.

Photo: Times Union

The article does not mention what is to happen with the restaurant's plans to expand and relocate to 735-737 Columbia Street, a building that was acquired for that purpose in 2022. The plans, which include two kitchens, a larger dining room and bar area, outdoor space, and event space, were before the Planning Board for months in 2023 and 2024, but a decision in the site plan review is still pending. The intended changes to the exterior of the historic building, which started its life as a Pure Oil gas station and was most recently the location of TJ Auto Service, were granted a certificate of appropriateness by the Historic Preservation Commission in March 2023.     

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Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

We've reached the final month of the 2025. As December begins, and we anticipate the first snowfall of the season, here is what's happening.

• On Tuesday, December 2, the Conservation Advisory Council meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

Update: The CAC meeting has been canceled.

• On Wednesday, December 3, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) meets at 9:30 a.m. The meeting includes a public hearing on the financial assistance, including a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreement, sought for the redevelopment of 601 Union Street, the Terry-Gillette mansion formerly the Hudson Elks Lodge, as a boutique hotel. The meeting is hybrid, taking place in person at 1 City Centre, Suite 301. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

• Also on Wednesday, December 3, the Common Council Legal Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. No agenda for the meeting has yet been published. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
• On Thursday, December 4, the Columbia County Housing Task Force meets at 4:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at 1 City Centre, Suite 301, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

Update: The Legal Committee meeting has been canceled.

• On Saturday, December 6, it is Winter Walk, Hudson's beloved event that kicks of the holiday season. As always, the event begins at 5:00 p.m. and lasts until 8:00 p.m. This year, the opening procession will feature large-scale illuminated puppets parading down Warren Street, accompanied by the Brasskill Band. 

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Bad End to a Holiday Weekend

A reader has informed Gossips that there was a hit-and-run accident at the corner of Warren and Third streets this afternoon at about 2:30 p.m. The woman who was struck is reported to be in pain but not seriously injured. The grille of the vehicle that struck her came off in the accident, so that should help in identifying the car and the driver. Also, the incident will have been captured on cameras in the area. Gossips will share information as it becomes available.

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Thinking About Parking

The announcement, on the day before Thanksgiving, that parking at meters and in municipal lots would once again be free in the month of December came as a bit of a surprise. Granted it is a long-standing tradition in Hudson, but at the informal meeting of the Common Council on November 10, Captain David Miller, acting chief of police, recommended that fees for meter parking not be suspended for December. Some members of the Common Council appeared to agree with Miller's recommendation. Despite this, in the waning days of his administration, Mayor Kamal Johnson seems to have made a unilateral decision to continue the tradition and forego around $15,000 in revenue for the City from the meters and more from potential parking tickets. 

The current situation inspired me to wonder when and how the tradition of free parking in December got started. Thanks to a reader, Gossips discovered several years ago that parking meters were introduced in 1941, only on the 5o0 and 6o0 blocks of Warren Street and on Seventh Street. What's interesting is that the merchants of Hudson petitioned the Common Council to install the meters, as explained in this article which appeared in the Hudson Evening Register in April 1941. (Because it's a bit hard to read, a transcription the text follows.)

The question of parking meters for Hudson will be determined at a special meeting of the Common Council tonight. The meeting will start at 7:30.

It is expected a resolution, asking for a six months trial of parking meters, will be introduced at the meeting. The matter has been under consideration by the council since a petition, signed by Warren Street merchants, pleaded for a trial term of parking meters this summer.

If the resolution is adopted, aldermen will be called upon to select the type of meter to be used and where they will be placed. It is believed meters will be installed on both sides of Warren street between Fifth and Park Place and on North Seventh street. The body may, however, suggest that meters be installed down Warren street as far as Fourth.

Claiming the parking situation in Hudson has been a serious matter during the past few summer seasons, merchants petitioned the Common Council to give parking meters a trial. If the situation is not improved within a period of six months, may be removed at no cost to the city, the merchants say. 

The minutes of the Common Council indicate that at a special meeting on April 10, 1941, the Council unanimously passed a resolution to install parking meters on Warren Street between Fifth and Park Place and on Seventh Street from Warren to Union and from Warren to Columbia. The resolution contains some interesting language about the need for parking meters.

WHEREAS, this council believes that the installation and operation of traffic parking meters on certain streets and thoroughfares in the City of Hudson may provide a solution of the traffic problem and relieve the congestion and confusion necessarily attendant to heavy and congested traffic and the inability of operators of motor vehicles to find adequate facilities for parking their vehicles.

In 1941, the parking fees at the meters were a penny for 12 minutes and a nickel for an hour.

Knowing when parking meters were introduced in Hudson does not tell us when the tradition of free parking in December began. A logical assumption would be that the tradition was initiated in the 1970s, by the group that called itself SPOUT (Society to Promote Our Unique Town). A major objective of SPOUT was to lure shoppers back to Hudson from the strip malls of Greenport, where parking was plentiful and free. Given that goal, it would make sense that SPOUT would come up with the idea of free parking in the city's commercial district during the biggest shopping month of the year. 

Logical as it seems that free parking in December was a SPOUT initiative, Gossips has been unable to document it, and some believe the tradition was already established when SPOUT was organized in 1975. Whether the tradition started fifty years ago or even earlier, Hudson is a very different place today than it was then. It is highly unlikely that free parking is what motivates people to visit Hudson in 2025, if it ever actually was, and, given the City's current fiscal challenges and uncertainties, foregoing any potential revenue seems a bit unwise. 

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Black Friday Shopping Guide

It's the day after Thanksgiving, and on this day, many people's thoughts turn to shopping. There are two local holiday markets opening today, as well as other opportunities to support small, local businesses. Here is Gossips' list.

• The Holiday Market at the Cannonball Factory opens today at 11:00 a.m. and continues from 11:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day for the rest of this weekend and the next three weekends (December 5-7, 12-14, 19-21).
• Basilica Farm & Flea Holiday Market opens today at 10:00 a.m. and continues on Saturday and Sunday. The hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day.
• Tomorrow, on Small Business Saturday, the Hudson Farmers' Market begins its Winter Market at the Hudson Elks Lodge, 201 Harry Howard Avenue. The market is open from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. every Saturday right up until Christmas. (The market takes the Saturday after Christmas off and then starts up again on January 3.)
• The Soft Spot, a Hudson Valley parenting newsletter, has published a local shopping guide for holiday gift purchases, which can be found here. 
• For pets this holiday season, Lilly's Natural Pet Store is now open at Hudson Depot Lofts, 76 North Seventh Street. The store is already open, but the grand opening takes place on Friday, December 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with a ribbon cutting at 5:15 p.m. that day.

The Vote on the Budget

Tonight, on the eve of Thanksgiving, the Common Council voted 8 to 3 to reject the proposed 2026 budget. Only Shershah Mizan (Third Ward), Lola Roberts (Third Ward), and Council president Tom DePietro voted yes to accept the budget. All the other members of the Council voted no.

 

What happens next is not clear. According to the Council's legal counsel, Crystal Peck, the Council cannot send the budget back to the BEA (Board of Estimate and Apportionment). From the time the mayor presents the budget, the Council has twenty days to make cuts to the budget or pass it. The Council cannot make additions to the budget, nor, it seems, can they simply reject it. If the Council does not act on the budget, it is approved by default. Mayor Kamal Johnson presented the budget to the Council on November 10. The twenty days are up on Sunday, November 30. One has to wonder why the special meeting to vote on the budget was scheduled just four days before the deadline, with the intervening days being a major holiday weekend.

The discussion that preceded the vote brought some clarity to the notion that two full-time positions were being cut from the Youth Department--a notion that provoked Youth Department supporters to come out in force to protest at the mayor's public hearing on the budget on November 19. It turns out that in his budget presentation to the BEA Calvin Lewis, youth director, erroneously indicated that there were two vacant full-time positions at the Youth Department: assistant director and athletic director (athletic director being a title change for a position that had been called "full-time rec attendant"). In fact, there was only vacant position: that of assistant director. When the BEA decided to impose a hiring freeze, eliminating the salaries for vacant positions from the budget, they unwittingly eliminated the salary of someone who was already working as athletic director, a.k.a. full-time rec attendant. As Councilmember Margaret Morris (First Ward) pointed out, this problem could have been avoided if the BEA had done a second round of workshops with department heads.

Although most of the discussion had to do with the Youth Department and its unfunded position, Linda Mussmann, Fourth Ward supervisor, rose to speak for the taxpayers, telling the Council, "You are asking the taxpayer to pay more." (The budget calls for a 3.9 percent increase in property taxes.)

Lola Roberts (Third Ward), who was one of the three members who voted accept the budget, bizarrely blamed gentrification for causing taxes to increase.

Margaret Morris, First Ward councilmember and Council president-elect, offered the most reasonable assessment of the situation: "We have been on a downward path in terms of revenue and expenses. We are not living within our means. . . . The bigger picture here is that we are not on a good path."

We can only hope that new leadership in City Hall can help us reverse course.

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Speaking of Things Fiscal

In about an hour, at 6:00 p.m., the Common Council holds a special meeting to vote on the proposed budget for 2026, which is balanced by taking money from the fund balance and raising property taxes by the maximum allowed. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

Related to the budget, it will be remembered that a couple of weeks ago in a Board of Estimate and Apportionment workshop, City Treasurer Heather Campbell predicted the City would not make its revenue numbers in 2025. Despite that, City Hall announced today that parking in Hudson will be free during the month of December, at meters on the street and in municipal parking lots--everywhere but in the Amtrak lot.

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About the HHA Redevelopment

Jeffrey Dodson, executive director of the Hudson Housing Authority, regularly describes what is being planned by HHA as "transformational," and indeed it will be. There are a total of 135 units in HHA's current buildings--Bliss Towers and Columbia Apartments. At the present time, not all the units are occupied. Phase 1 of the redevelopment plan will create 166 units in Buildings A and B and the four townhouses proposed for the lot at the corner of Columbia and Second streets. 

The project also has a Phase 2. In July, John Madeo of Mountco, HHA's development partner, said the total number of units, in Phases 1 and 2, would be between 260 and 270--twice as many units as HHA currently has. 

It was April 2023 when HHA chose Mountco Construction and Development from Scarsdale as its development partner. At that time, we also learned that Alexander Gorlin Architects would be designing the project. Although Gorlin and members of his team have appeared at meetings from time to time, in two and a half years, the public has never seen any drawings or renderings to show what the future buildings will actually look like. In July, the drawing below of the townhouses proposed for Columbia and Second streets was shared with the public, with the caveat that this may not be the final design.

Statements made by Madeo at the last HHA Board of Commissioners meeting suggest that we may see the "full architectural design" for the project in February. 

Meanwhile, although we know very little about what HHA is planning for our little fiscally challenged city that takes pride in its historic architecture, the Common Council last week approved a new cooperation agreement with HHA. Up until 2019, when HHA completed its RAD conversion, HHA properties were entirely tax exempt. In 2019, HHA entered into a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreement with the City of Hudson. HHA paid $30,000 in property taxes annually--an amount that is divided among the City of Hudson, Columbia County, and the Hudson City School District. (Most homeowners in Hudson pay more than $10,000 annually in property taxes.) According to the terms of the new cooperation agreement, HHA will make a lump sum payment of $120,000 in the third quarter of 2026, and that payment will replace the PILOT payments for 2025, 2026, 2027, and 2028. What happens after 2028, when construction of Phase 1 is complete, is not clear.

When the new cooperation agreement came before the Common Council on November 18, Councilmember Margaret Morris (First Ward) asked the question, "What happens after 2028?" If Dan Hubbell, the attorney representing HHA, answered that question, Gossips missed it. Morris, who as Common Council Majority Leader serves on the Industrial Development Agency (IDA), observed that, when considering a PILOT, the IDA has "much more information than HHA is providing." Morris suggested they table the resolution, but, ignoring her suggestion, Council president Tom DePietro called for a vote. All members of the Council voted to approve the resolution except Morris, who voted no.

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Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

The big event this week, of course, is Thanksgiving and the holiday shopping related events that follow. But before that happens, there is a public hearing and a meeting that merit attention.

• On Monday, November 24, Mayor Kamal Johnson holds a public hearing on the law extending the lodging tax. The hearing takes place at 4:00 p.m., in person only, at City Hall.
• On Wednesday, November 26, at 6:00 p.m., on the eve of a holiday, the Common Council holds a special meeting to vote on the proposed budget for 2026. There are those in the community who don't want the Council to approve the budget because it eliminates two full-time positions in the Youth Department, and there are others who don't want the budget approved because it is not a balanced budget: there is a gap of close to $400,000 between anticipated revenues and expenses. Also, it raises property taxes by 3.9 percent. It will be interesting to see how members of the Council vote. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

• On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, November 28, 29, and 30, it is Basilica Farm & Flea Holiday Market. The market is open from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. each day at Basilica Hudson, 110 South Front Street. Click here for more information.

• On Saturday, November 29--Small Business Saturday--the Hudson Farmers' Market opens at its winter location in the Hudson Elks Lodge, 201 Harry Howard Avenue. The market is open from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Click here for more information. 

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Ideas for Holiday Gift Giving

The History Room at the Hudson Area Library has T-shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies with a historic cityscape of Hudson within the shape of a whale. The design was created by Alan Coon, artist, graphic designer, and co-owner of The Spotty Dog Books & Ale, exclusively for the exhibition Hudson: A History of Whaling & Maritime Commerce. The cityscape is from an 1824 etching found in Rural Repository.

Visit bonfire.com/hudson-area-library-whaling-shirts/ to select from a variety of styles and colors. Shirts are available in both adult and youth sizes. Bonfire enables nonprofits to fundraise online, and the library receives a portion of the proceeds for each item sold.

The History Room also has merchandise based on items in its archives, including local maps; SPOUT mugs, ornaments, trinket trays, and stickers; Warren Street and Night Scene postcard sets; and Proprietors Tea, specially blended by Kim Bach of Verdigris Tea. Items are available for purchase online by clicking here and at the library, as well as at Basilica Farm & Flea Holiday Market, November 28, 29 and 3o, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

All proceeds from the sale of merchandise will be used to fulfill the History Room's mission to collect, archive, and make accessible to public items that tell the history of Hudson, Greenport, and Stockport. The exhibition Hudson: A History of Whaling & Maritime Commerce can now be viewed online on the Virtual Exhibits page of the Hudson River Valley Heritage website.

About That Fateful Planning Board Meeting

Gossips has already posted twice about Tuesday's Planning Board meeting, but there is no limit to the number of words that can be devoted to the meeting that sealed the fate of Hudson's waterfront and put an end to the aspirations of so many for close to thirty years. Today, Donna Streitz of Our Hudson Waterfront distributed her very comprehensive report on the meeting. The following is quoted from the beginning of that report: 

Despite a decades long outcry from the public to protect and revitalize our waterfront for the benefit and enjoyment of the public, the Hudson Planning Board approved the Dock Conditional Use Permit, currently owned by A. Colarusso and Sons, without imposing annual limit on truck volume, and allowing operations on weekends. . . .

With the exception of one board member—Gaby Hoffmann—the board has rejected the input from the public wanting protection of our waterfront and expressing concerns about the threats caused by virtually unlimited truck traffic at Hudson’s waterfront. Since 2019 alone, public input received by the board includes over 200 public comment letters and over 1,800 petition signatures, opposing increased truck traffic at our waterfront.  

Streitz's complete report can be found here, see 11/21/25 update. It is recommended reading.

Get Your Ticket, Mark Your Calendar

Gossips learned today, from reading Mark Allen's Instagram, that the Hudson Business Coalition and Shanan Magee have organized a round table with key leadership of Bard College to discuss the Galvan Foundation's gift of its Hudson real estate to Bard. The event will take place on Tuesday, December 9, at 6:00 p.m., at Park Theater, 723 Warren Street. There will be a discussion about the acquisition, representatives from Bard will answer questions submitted in advance, and a Q&A for those in attendance.

Today, November 20, is the deadline for submitting questions. To submit a question, click here. To secure a ticket for the event, click here.

They're Back!

In 2013, when Finch was located at 613 Warren Street, the Historic Preservation Commission granted a certificate of appropriateness to cover the glass mosaic signs that read "Clothing" and "Toggery" with plywood, which would be painted to match the marble of the facade.

Yesterday, as part of a facade cleaning and repointing, the signs, thought to date from the 1930s, were revealed once again.

The building is now the home of Clove & Creek.

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More News of the Planning Board

Last night's Planning Board meeting went on for more than three hours. After a little more than two and a half hours, the board voted six to one to pass a resolution granting a conditional use permit to Colarusso for its dock operation. The video of the meeting, with a few annoying freezes and stops, can be found here. The discussion of Colarusso begins at about 30:30.

Of particular interest is a statement made by Planning Board member Gaby Hoffmann, which happens at about 2:06:33, and the response to it by Theresa Joyner, who chairs the Planning Board. The following is Gossips' transcription of Hoffmann's statement:

The Planning Board that approved that haul road application, I believe, failed the City of Hudson. They failed to scrutinize the documents and the numbers--and clarify that the documents submitted to the Greenport Planning Board, Hudson Planning Board, CCPB, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation permit, and New York State Department of Transportation permit had vastly different truck trip numbers and barge numbers than the resolution that is in front of us tonight. And I think this Planning Board has the opportunity to rectify that failure and protect the future of Hudson from a potentially devastating situation at the waterfront with a truck running by every 2½ minutes and up to 9 barges parked next door to our one waterfront park.…

We are essentially giving our waterfront up to the highest bidder by approving this resolution. I feel this board has had a failure of imagination, both of what the riverfront might be under the worst possible conditions and of what the riverfront could be and should be, which is a riverfront that prioritizes its residents, their health, safety, quality of life, as well as their economic future and the beauty that the natural world offers this unique location. I'm not the only one who thinks so. Hundreds of public comments have said similar things and addressed similar concerns.…

I think it's safe to say that this C.U.P.--this resolution in front of us--is incredibly liberal and permissive. It allows for significant intensification of industrial activity at the waterfront, which is fiercely antithetical to the City's expressed desires and needs, and it makes a beautiful vision of a future Hudson that so many have been working so hard for for decades, and we should all want, almost impossible to imagine. 

This public has put an incredible amount of passion and effort and work into the comments, and I thank them for that, because I learned a lot, and I regret that this board did not properly address, review, or discuss their comments, nor did the applicant. And these comments should have been used as a guiding light to help see what the future of Hudson could be and to help us achieve that. It's shameful that it wasn't. . . .

A few words later, Joyner interrupted Hoffmann, claiming she had spoken for three minutes. Hoffmann objected, saying that time limits should not apply to members of the board. Hoffmann then made a motion to reopen the public hearing, based on new information, citing the numbers on which the Columbia County Planning Board based its recommendation and the recent barge accident. Hoffmann's motion was not seconded. When Hoffmann rose to pass out a sheet of information to other board members, Joyner told her to sit down and declared her actions to be "highly improper."  

Seeming to pick up on an earlier suggestion by Joyner that Hoffmann had "an agenda for private people," Veronica Concra asked Hoffmann if she had done all the research on her own. Hoffmann confirmed that she read all the public comments, done further research, and "spent days and days and days doing all of that work." To which Joyner responded, "And you're disrespecting anything that we have or our attorneys or consultants." Joyner went on the lecture Hoffmann:

What you are doing here--you are placing the procedures of this board in jeopardy. This is not a place for you to act like a public advocate--advocacy for the public. This is a place where we as members of this Planning Board, OK?--we cannot advocate for particular social policies, groups, or even--

Hoffmann interrupted at this point to say, "I'm here to advocate for Hudson." Joyner continued:

Our solemn responsibility as Planning Board members is to deliberate based on the facts presented, the current zoning regulations, and the legal options relevant to each applicant and this applicant--This emotional outbreak has got to stop. This failure to conform as a Planning Board member has got to stop. Your actions--you're placing the citizens--not just the twenty-three people that you know or that is with you--but the whole people that's in Hudson in jeopardy by the way you are acting.

What we care about is the fact that you have no respect for anything that we have given you, the legal aspects of this application--you have no respect for that, and you have no respect for the procedures of this board.

A vote on the resolution occurred soon after, the outcome of which we already know, but not before Randall Martin told Hoffmann that he "took umbrage" with her statement that the Planning Board had failed the City of Hudson when it approved the haul road. He spoke the hundreds of trucks on the streets of Hudson, passing through "the most vulnerable populations in Hudson … the poorest people, the oldest people," before the haul road was approved. He failed, however, to mention his own surprise, expressed at the August 27 meeting of the Planning Board, when he realized that the volume of trucks that had been approved for the haul road--284 truck trips a day--would end up at the dock, crossing the railroad tracks and passing by a public park.

The whole bitter end to the Planning Board's review of the dock operation can be viewed here, beginning at about 30:30. 

The terms of three members of the Planning Board--Theresa Joyner, Randall Martin, and Bettina Young--will be over at the end of December. It is hoped mayor-elect Joe Ferris is thinking long and hard about the people he will appoint to replace them.

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Two Wins and a Loss

There was a lot happening in Hudson tonight, with the Common Council and the Planning Board meeting at the virtually the same time. At the Council meeting, the resolution to give local historic designation to the Dunn warehouse passed, despite Council president Tom DePietro expressing the opinion that local designation was redundant and would create "another layer of bureaucracy" and another delay. DePietro's disparaging remarks notwithstanding, every councilmember voted in support of the designation, including DePietro himself, except for Mohammed Rony (Second Ward), who, after saying he didn't see the real need for the designation, abstained. 

At the Planning Board meeting, Walter Chatham, who was there representing the Galvan Foundation, said he had gotten a phone call from Craig Haigh at 5:00 p.m. telling him that 14 and 16 North Fourth Street, which Galvan is proposing to demolish, were in a historic district. Although Chatham said the Planning Board review went first, Victoria Polidoro, who is legal counsel to the Planning Board and the Historic Preservation Commission, advised him to involve the HPC early on.

Photo: Mark Allen

Now for the loss. The Planning Board voted six to one to grant a conditional use permit for Colarusso's dock operation, allowing activity at the dock to occur from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to noon on Sunday, with the potential for 142 trucks to arrive and depart from the dock every day. The only member of the Planning Board to vote against it was Gaby Hoffmann.

Gossips will have more to say about each of these stories tomorrow.

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At the Planning Board Tonight

At tonight's meeting of the Planning Board, it is expected that the board will vote on a resolution granting a conditional use permit to Colarusso for its dock operations. The draft resolution outlining the conditions of the permit has been the topic of discussion for the last two meetings of the Planning Board, which are reported on here and here. Apparently, at sometime over the weekend, members of the Planning Board received the latest version of the resolution, but so far it has not been made available to the public. One wonders why.

A surprise on the agenda for tonight's Planning Board meeting, which presumably was supposed to be dedicated solely to the Colarusso conditional use permit, are two items of new business, both coming from the Galvan Foundation. The first is an application to build a new addition and make interior renovations to 405 Columbia Street, the building that was Helsinki Hudson. 

The second is an application to demolish 14 and 16 North Fourth Street "to allow expansion of the Hudson Public Hotel comprised of two new buildings with 14 guest rooms." 

My question immediately upon learning about this was: "Why didn't this go before the Historic Preservation Commission?" The two houses are in a historic district known as "North Fourth Street Extension," created on the initiative of people who once lived in one of the two buildings Galvan now wants to demolish. When I contacted Craig Haigh to ask why this was bypassing the HPC, I was told there was no record of this part of North Fourth Street being in a historic district. I know differently and will spend the rest of the afternoon tracking down the documents to prove it. If I cannot find the documentation, which I know exists, not only will Galvan be allowed to demolish these houses but also to construct new buildings with no oversight from the Historic Preservation Commission.

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UPDATE: Eureka! I found it (and it wasn't all that hard). The locally designated Warren Street Historic District was expanded to include "properties on the east and west sides of North Fourth Street between Prison Alley and Columbia Street" by Resolution 14 of 2006, passed by the Common Council on May 16, 2006, and signed by Mayor Richard Tracy on May 17, 2006. The resolution can found here. You need to scroll past the first two pages.

Read It and Weep

In anticipation of tomorrow's Planning Board meeting, Donna Streitz sent an email message today to the followers of Our Hudson Waterfront. Streitz's entire update can be found here, see 11/17/25 update. In it, she includes a transcript of a statement by Planning Board member Gaby Hoffmann and the response from Planning Board chair Theresa Joyner. I alluded to this in yesterday's post ("Coming to a Close with Colarusso"), but reading exactly what Hoffmann and Joyner said is recommended. The exchange can be heard here, beginning at 1:24:42.

Hoffmann: “Yeah, I want to say something. Over the last few meetings, some different things have been said about me by different members. Gene, you suggested I was trying to prolong the process or something like that … Veronica, the last time you said I was trying to take something away from how Colarusso, Kali, you said I shouldn't be doing my own research and, you know, trying to learn more and understand this project on the Internet, maybe microfiche next time. I feel like being clear about what my intention is here might just be useful for this discussion about ours, because there is a vision for the future of the city of Hudson. It has been in the works for decades, starting with the Vision Plan, the Comprehensive Plan, the re-visioning 2011--the LWRP. Most recently, Wendy—I can't remember her last name—was in front of this board proposing the Climate Adaptive Design for the park that abuts the dock operations and would be greatly impacted by these hours of operation. I'm here to protect this vision, to protect the future of the city of Hudson, Hudson present, its economic viability, and that is all to say its residents. If we give Colarusso everything they say they need, like you [Colarusso] need to work on Saturdays, we're taking away from the city of Hudson. We are taking away from the future of the city of Hudson and we're taking away from its residents. We are here to protect Hudson, its future, and its residents. We are not here to worry about how you [Colarusso] make back the money that you have invested. That's your problem. We are allowed to impose conditions, including ours, that could be as limiting, as Monday through Friday, if we so choose. And I think we need to be empowered to do that. You're annoyed that this has taken so long and you want to hold us in contempt of court if we don't vote on your timeline. You've taken us to court twice. This has been slowed down because of lawsuits that you've brought. This riverfront, the core riverfront, is the only area. Veronica, I don't want to take something away from them for a hip coffee shop. This is the only area left in this city for any real economic development at this scale, and this city needs that. We clearly have financial problems. They're going to be raising our taxes again soon. It is the only area of the city that we have a chance for real economic development so that this city can survive. Okay, and there are between Dunn Warehouse and Kaz, there are tens and tens, probably hundreds of millions of dollars of development that are at stake here. In addition to the businesses that are already down there, like the Antiques Warehouse, Kitty’s and Basilica, that probably are bringing in half a million to a million dollars in tax revenue now and employing dozens and dozens and dozens of residents of Hudson. They [Colarusso], I think, pay $50,000 a year in taxes and don't employ any residents of the city. Is that right? I'm not sure what they're offering the future of Hudson, but we're here to protect that future. And the future economic development plans that are going to be essential for this city to survive. So I think we need development. We need tax revenue. We need employment opportunities. And I don't see where else that's going to happen except for down there. And if Saturdays and Sundays, that operation is going unfettered, that's going to be an issue. Okay. Ten seconds. Okay, I'll take another three minutes another time. Okay, that's it.”

Joyner: [1:28:37 mark] “I want to address you with Gaby. Gaby, this is how you feel. I know. I'm only representing myself. Gaby, there's seven members on this board. Seven. And we all have our individual faults. So because it annoys you, does not mean it annoys the rest of us. Please. I'm only speaking for myself. No, you're speaking when you say we. You're speaking for you. Everybody understands that. So please, you came on the board. You haven't caught up yet. A lot of time has been spent answering your questions, trying to keep you up to date. But it just doesn't matter what is said. So all I'm saying to you, this is you. We've got seven members and the majority of this board will, the majority vote, will be the deciding vote. So understand, don't attack us because we don't agree with you. If one of us doesn't agree with you. Just because you want it, don't mean we want it. If we don't agree, accept that, please.  Okay? You wrote something saying you don't understand how we understand everything because you don't understand anything… You wrote an email saying it's hard to get the records. And you can't believe that everybody on this board is up to date because of the difficulties you're having getting the information you need. It's extremely difficult to find records on this. And I thought that was the meaning to say that. Because I don't have a problem with it. I don't know if anybody else does. But to say something like that. So please, keep it to your understanding or misunderstanding or lack of understanding. Okay. I had my three minutes. Now, do you have anything else you want to say about the dock operations? Because that's what we are and that's where we are.”

The Planning Board meets tomorrow, November 18, at 6:30 p.m., at the Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street. The meeting may be livestreamed. The link to the livestream can be found here.