In April 2024, Carla Perez-Gallardo, the chef/owner of Lil' Deb's Oasis, announced they would not pursue Restore New York funding because they did not want to compete with the Hudson Housing Authority, which was seeking Restore New York funding for its redevelopment project. (Restore New York refunding requires sponsorship from the municipality, and a municipality can sponsor only one project each year.) As it turned out, the HHA project did not qualify for Restore New York funding, and Lil' Deb's sacrifice was in vain.
Last December, Perez-Gallardo announced she was stepping away from the restaurant at the end of 2025 and was seeking a buyer for the restaurant, which would continue to operate at 747 Columbia Street under the management of its current staff. At the time, Gossips wondered what would become of the plans to relocate the restaurant to 735-737 Columbia Street.
Today, Gossips learned that Lil' Deb's Oasis has withdrawn its application for site plan approval, first presented in January 2023, from the Planning Board, because the project was determined to be no longer feasible.
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Expect snow and ice on the sidewalk, as well as overgrown vegetation along the sidewalk, in front of the property to continue to be ignored by whoever the owner of 735 Columbia is.
ReplyDeleteAnother example how bad government is bad for our small businesses. The years before the planning board (appointed by the mayor) are inexcusable. And Lil Debs was the real loser in the Restore NY grant debacle. I wonder who, if anyone, advised them to drop out. Could it be the same former council president featured in their cookbook, with a full page spread and dressed as Caesar?
ReplyDeleteIndeed.
ReplyDeleteAnd to connect the dots:
A big proponent of the RestoreNY grant going to Bliss/HHA was.... the Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition, lead by Quintin Cross.
And only one Common Council member (Margaret Morris) at the time explained publicly the obvious, because she does all the reading, that Bliss/HHA was not eligible for the Restore NY.
How ironic that Lil Debs helped elect Kamal and co. only to see that administration harm them.
Just think how many fiscal mistakes, municipal errors, and wasted time Quintin Cross caused this City.
In his own words in 2012:
“I stole money from the City of Hudson and I have an obligation to pay that back,” and
"They gave me great power, I squandered it.”
Read more about Hudson's Non-Resident Municipal Extortionists (HCHC)
https://www.hudsoncommonsense.com/report-fbmob2