By JEANETTE WOLFBERG
HUDSON–The Hudson Housing Authority (HHA) and its redevelopment partners are working on a modified proposal for building new housing, according to a diagram of the latest idea shared on December 16 and emails from Executive Director Jeffrey Dodson in December 18 and 23. The new proposal envisions lower buildings, and fewer townhouses than the original one. The new proposal results from New York State’s looking at the original one and recommending “value engineering,” which can include cost cutting.
The HHA runs the 135-unit income-restricted Bliss Tower and Columbia Apartments in Hudson. It also owns land with a basketball court and other outdoor recreation facilities across State Street from those buildings. Redevelopment diagrams call the land with the buildings Site A and the land with the basketball court Site B. Proposals for putting housing on Site B have arisen over the years, but they have stayed proposals. Meanwhile the existing buildings are a half century old and, according to several sources, getting difficult and expensive to repair and maintain. In 2021, HHA’s Board of Commissioners decided both to erect new housing on Site B and to demolish the existing buildings on Site A and replace them with new housing. Before the HHA can demolish its existing buildings, the law requires it to rehouse the people who live in them.
For the project, HHA sought development partners and from the respondents picked Mountco Construction and Development Corporation of Scarsdale, along with Alexander Gorlin Architects. The partnership drew up an ambitious maximum-build build plan with 138 new apartments in two buildings on site B, both surface and underground parking, thirteen townhouses on land the HHA can buy from the City of Hudson at a discount, and a hypothetical Phase 2 with a 162 apartments in three buildings on Site A. The buildings would come in a variety of heights, from four to seven stories. The townhouses would be three stories tall.
The latest proposal would result in a 151 new apartments in two buildings–one on each site, surface parking only, the purchase of enough city land for only four townhouses, and a hypothetical Phase 2 with 105 additional apartments in two buildings on Site A. All buildings would be four or five stories tall.
The existing buildings can stay up through Phase 1, even though its new construction includes Site A. The new Phase 1, like the original Phase 1, would result in more than enough new apartments for all HHA’s existing residents to move into. After the state approves Phase 1, it could take three years to construct its buildings and get them ready for occupancy, Mountco’s Development Director Eu Ting-Zambuto estimated earlier in 2024. The new Phase 2, like the original Phase 2, would require demolishing the existing buildings first.
HHA and Mountco have said the reason for reducing building heights is that buildings above five stories high must have steel frames, while those five stories and lower can have wood frames, which are cheaper. In addition, the latest sketch diagram shows a “steep slope” in a corner of Site B, and that influences decisions about buildings and parking on that site.
As for townhouses, the HHA Board voted to proceed with the purchase of two of the city parcels it had been considering buying, at its December 16 meeting, according to Mr. Dodson. The other land the HHA was considering has “sloped” ground, which can make construction more difficult, he added. “We do not believe it is cost effective for the HHA/Mountco to build town houses at that location.” The two parcels the HHA is buying can together hold four three-story townhouses.
The new proposal still calls for extending First Street from Columbia Street to State Street, separating HHA’s land from Schuyler Court’s. However, the originally-proposed re-laying of Lombard Street between State and Dock streets related to the land the HHA decided not to buy. Nevertheless, the latest diagram still shows eventually pedestrianizing State Street between Second Street and the new extension of First Street.
The new apartments in Site A and Site B buildings would have 1, 2, and 3-story apartments. Though 10% smaller than in the original proposal, they would still be larger than current Bliss apartments. Currently in Bliss, studios have 330 square feet, 1-bedroom units have 500 square feet, 2-bedroom units have 650, and 3-bedroom units have 843, according to Mr. Dodson. In the latest proposal, 1-bedroom units would have 670 square feet, 2-bedroom units would have 875, and 3-bedroom would have 1,055, according to the latest sketch diagram.
The townhouses would have 4 and 5 bedroom units, according to the original sketch diagram.
HHA resident reactions to the latest proposal were not available by press time.
Much community reaction to the proposals stems from the goals of Phase 1 plus Phase 2. Excluding the townhouses, the new proposal envisions more new apartments than the original proposal from Phase 1. But from Phase 1 plus the hypothetical Phase 2, the original proposal envisioned more apartments (300) than the new proposal (256). In any case, all approvals that HHA is seeking are for Phase 1 only. Phase 2 would require its own applications, approvals, and construction schedule.