Following is an updated letter I sent to the City’s Planning Board on May 29, 2025. The Mill Street area is the outlet for other nearby water sources. The City does not have the funds to remediate this issue in the future.
To Hudson Planning Board Members,
Thank you very much for your service and time to the City of Hudson.
As 4th Ward City Councilmember – the ward that includes Mill Street – I would like to voice my opposition to the current project proposed by Kearney Realty and Development.
After talking with residents of Mill Street, I agree with them that the Mill Street project has the following issues:
- The project is located on a flood plain. The street is prone to flooding, as it is the outlet for many water sources. A building this large will contribute to the problem, and contribute to flooding of other homes on the block.
- The City of Hudson does not have the resources to remediate the flooding issue. Remediating the flooding issue would be an undue burden upon the property owners of the City.
- The project is too big for the block. Why does the proposal include up to seventy units on a very small residential block? Less units would fit the character of the neighborhood.
- There’s not enough parking for the new building’s residents. There’s less than one spot per unit.
- There’s no city infrastructure on Mill Street – sidewalks, bus routes, retail – to contribute to the lives of the residents of a new development.
- The land should be left as a park.
Mill Street is a wonderful residential block with many single and small multi-family homes built on concrete slabs. The Habitat for Humanities program that helped build those houses should be the model for future projects.
The project does not fit the character of neither its neighborhood nor community, and should not move forward.
Thank you again for your time and attention to this urgent matter.
Rich Volo
City of Hudson Councilmember, 4th Ward