On Tuesday, the Planning Board resumed the public hearing on the proposed redevelopment of Bliss Towers and Columbia Apartments. The hearing, which went on for an hour and twenty minutes, was essentially a repeat of the hearing that took place on July 21. The majority of the speakers expressed support for the project. Many of them were the same people who had spoken three weeks ago—Mary Decker, Kaya Weidman, Abdus Miah, Kim Singletary, Claire Cousin, Bill Hughes—but there were some notable new voices—Stephanie Monseu of Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, former mayor Kamal Johnson, former Second Ward alderman Tiffany Garriga, and former Second Ward supervisor Ed Cross. The headline of Spenser Walsh's article for the Register-Star sums it up: "Majority support Hudson's Bliss revamp at second public hearing."
As on July 21, the first person to speak was Mary Decker, who, as she told the Planning Board previously, has lived in Bliss Towers for 46 of her 47 years. Decker, who is currently a resident member of the HHA Board of Commissioners, told the Planning Board, "People are not taking into account how us residents feel." That comment seemed to introduce a recurring theme of the evening: a celebration of the community that is Bliss Towers.
Kaya Weidman spoke of "families and generational networks … being torn apart." Kayah Payton, reading a letter she had submitted to the Planning Board, said of Bliss Towers, "I was born into that community, raised there, built lifelong friendships there, and later received my first apartment there as a young adult. Even after leaving Hudson for a period, I returned to Bliss once again before beginning the next chapter of my life." Claire Cousin, also reading from a letter submitted, reminisced, "Some of my favorite memories happened in those public housing apartments. I remember holidays captured on camcorder videos, full of love, laughter, food, kids running around, and people being together. I remember community. It was on the property of the Hudson Housing Authority that I learned what community actually meant."
At the beginning of the public hearing, prior to anyone's comments, Ron Bogle, who chairs the Planning Board, attempted to define the purview of the Planning Board:
The Planning Board doesn't deal with everything. We don't deal with how much a project costs or whether or not we think it's a good idea. Our focus and our remit is pretty narrow. We look at [the impact on] the quality of the neighborhood, traffic, safety, environmental issues, and other matters that you believe are important to us.
After the public comments had been heard, Bogle asked for a motion to adjourn the public hearing but not close it. Planning Board member Sara Black expressed concern that adjourning the public hearing was postponing a decision. (Once the public hearing is closed, the Planning Board has sixty-two days to make a decision.) Bogle pointed out that the project was before the Zoning Board of Appeals, and the ZBA had not yet acted. Notwithstanding Black's concerns, it was decided that the public hearing will continue at the Planning Board's next meeting, which will take place on Tuesday, September 8. Written comments will be accepted through September 1.
The Planning Board also scheduled a site visit to Bliss Towers on Monday, August 24, at 1:00 p.m. The board will not only tour the interior of the building but also walk the site to understand the placement of the proposed new structures. Because all the members of the Planning Board are to be present for this site visit, it will be a special meeting, and members of the public are welcome to join the tour and walkabout.
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I am sure I've said this numerous times before but I'll happily do it again: I believe these public hearings are a waste of time and do not actually contribute to the actual outcome of the Planning Board's deliberations.
ReplyDeleteIf you prolong it, all that does is give the same people an opportunity to tell their story a second, or third, or fourth time.
I thought however that a few interesting things were said - not by the public but by members of the Planning Board. Ron Bogle trying to outline what the true purview of the Planning Board probably is was refreshing but so was Sara Black who reminded the audience that perhaps the comments should be focused more on specific details of the plan as we know it and not make them into an all-or-nothing proclamation.
All the more fervent supporters of the HHA's plan for the redevelopment evidently think the plan as presented is flawless: Not a single thing about it can be criticized because criticizing it would mean to be against affordable housing.
In the process of declaring their unwavering support they are missing very low hanging fruit that should be pointed out: The fact that 1st-floor retail, present in an earlier iteration of the plan, has been silently scrapped; or while there is green space, it is essentially walled off from the public by these newly proposed large buildings.
Sara Black and Ron Bogle were reminding people to focus on what the Planning Board can and cannot adjudicate. It will of course fall on deaf ears.
"Approve What, Exactly?"
ReplyDeleteUnit count, cost, construction phasing, and safety are all unclear in the plan Hudson's Planning Board is asked to approve
https://www.hudsoncommonsense.com/siteplanconfusion
If we care about the Community™, if we care about Hudson's integrated growth, and especially if we care about the residents of Bliss, we'd demand a complete plan.
Vote on facts, not vibes. Evidence not emotion.
And if Dodson and MountCo really cared about the residents of Bliss they would not have committed $2.5m and 5 years to this double or nothing False Choice plan that is incomplete.
There are carriage house garages and illuminated plastic signs in in Hudson that have faced more scrutiny than this ~ quarter-billion-dollar, likely 10 year plus construction zone that will house thousands in the coming decade and impact everyone in Hudson.
p.s. For our wonderful judges in the 3rd District reading... all this was shared AHEAD of time, and more than a dozen material SEQRA and Site Plan questions remain unanswered with no "hard look".
See here: https://www.hudsoncommonsense.com/docket-hha
Has anyone asked how did a 55 year old bldg. become unlivable and unsafe?
ReplyDeleteAnd the best solution is demolition.