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Sunny skies. High 79F. Winds light and variable..

Generally fair. Low 56F. Winds light and variable.

Noah Eckstein/Columbia-Greene Media65 N. 7th St. is a vacant home on the national register of historic places in Hudson. If “The Depot District” gets the official green light from the Historic Preservation Commission, the home will be demolished. If the project does not get the go-ahead, “The Depot District” would have to decrease its 75-unit project to 38 units.

Photo from the Historic Preservation CommissionA concept design rendering of the building on North 7th St.

Noah Eckstein/Columbia-Greene Media65 N. 7th St. is a vacant home on the national register of historic places in Hudson. If “The Depot District” gets the official green light from the Historic Preservation Commission, the home will be demolished. If the project does not get the go-ahead, “The Depot District” would have to decrease its 75-unit project to 38 units.

Photo from the Historic Preservation CommissionA concept design rendering of the building on North 7th St.

HUDSON — The city’s Historic Preservation Commission weighed updated information, material selections, and design concepts on Friday regarding the Galvan Foundation’s plan to construct a 75-unit mixed-income apartment building on 75 N. 7th St. and 708 State St.

The commission passed a resolution in April approving the size, roof, fenestration and storefront designs of the Galvan Foundation project dubbed “The Depot District.” But because the proposed project would require the demolition of three buildings, one of which (65 N. 7th St.) is a part of the nationally registered Hudson Historic District, the commission held a special meeting to discuss further the Foundation’s plans before officially issuing a certificate of appropriateness for the project.

According to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s website, a certificate of appropriateness is a document stating that a proposed project will fit the historic district in question and meets criteria in the local code.

“The Depot District meets an urgent need for housing in Hudson, while also pursuing ambitious environmental sustainability goals,” said Vice President of Initiatives of the Galvan Foundation Dan Kent. The Galvan Foundation is a nonprofit that refurbishes, in part, historic buildings for commercial use, and is dedicated to increasing the affordable housing stock in Hudson while simultaneously increasing the general economic prosperity of Columbia County.

Kent said Friday that all three buildings, owned by the Galvan Foundation, are vacant. The residents at 75 N. 7th St. were relocated to another Galvan property. They declined comment for this story, because they are still moving boxes.

In the special meeting Friday, Jorge Chang, the architect for 75 N. 7th St. and principal at Urban Architectural Initiatives, a New York City-based architecture firm, said The Depot District would have energy recovery ventilators, triple-glazed windows and solar panels for on-site energy, making it a sustainable project. The main focus for constructing The Depot District is on the housing it would create in a city in dire need of more affordable options.

“We appreciate the thoughtful input provided by the Historic Preservation Commission as we work to create mixed income housing that is both environmentally sustainable and compatible with Hudson’s historic fabric,” Kent said Friday.

According to the Hudson Anti-Displacement Housing Report prepared by Hudson Housing Justice Director Michelle Tullo and Sara Black, administrative coordinator for the Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency, intense housing competition persists in Hudson and there is limited housing for low- to mid-income level families.

The Depot District, according to the Galvan Foundation. would provide low-, moderate- and middle-income housing at the 75 N. 7th St. location and 20% of the 708 State St. location would be considered moderate-income housing. The rest would be middle income, which is essentially market rate housing.

Moderate housing is 80% of the area median income, which according to the U.S. Census Bureau was $39,292 for 2020. Middle-income housing is from 80% to 130% of the area median income.

Median housing sale prices rose 40% in Columbia County in the last three years, from $233,800 in November 2018 to $390,500 in November 2021, according to the Hudson Anti-Displacement Housing Report. While prices rose dramatically during the first year of the pandemic, the rising price trend has not stopped: Columbia County saw a 13.2% increase in median home prices from November of 2020 to November of 2021

This is, in part, why the Galvan Foundation wants the commission to give the project the official green light. If they do not get the go-ahead from the commission regarding the houses that exist on the proposed project site, The Depot District would have to shrink from 75 units to 38. According to Kent, at that size, the project would not be financially feasible.

Kent added Friday that the area is one of the only parts of the city that is zoned to allow for apartment buildings. That is why the Galvan Foundation selected this location and saying that they are unable to build the project elsewhere.

The Commission’s next meeting is June 10 where it is expected, and anticipated by Kent, that a vote on the certificate of appropriateness will be made.

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