Hudson Heritage Project Moving Forward
The site of the now-defunct Hudson River State Hospital is making a comeback, slowly but surely.
The Hudson Heritage project, led by the EnviroFinance Group and Diversified Realty Advisors (known better as EFG/DRA, jointly), will bring 750 homes, a 350,000 square-foot retail plaza and a hotel to the 156-acre property. A park and a golf course are also planned, and an emphasis will be placed on pedestrian and cycling traffic as opposed to motor vehicle traffic within the property.
Although it has been in the works for several years, it is an undertaking that requires a tremendous amount of preparation — and not just on the developer’s end.
The Town of Poughkeepsie Planning Department has been integral in the process of moving the project along. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), a document outlining the environmental concerns and necessary improvements for the project, was deemed complete on November 2. Immediately following its completion, a public comment period began, allowing residents of the area to make their concerns or inquiries known to both the Town of Poughkeepsie and the applicant, EFG/DRA.
“We had roughly a six to seven week public comment period that closed right before the holidays on December 21,” said Neil Wilson, Director of Municipal Development for the Town of Poughkeepsie. “We also had a pubic hearing on December 7 and we had additional written comments.”
Once the public comment period came to a close, the environmental review process moved forward with completion of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
“We have given the comments we received to the applicant,” Wilson said. “The town board and planning board have issued their own comments. We will have the final DEIS for final review the second week of March. At that point we will work with the applicant to finalize the EIS.”
Eric Hollman, Town of Poughkeepsie Planner, explained what EFG/DRA will do with the comments they receive.
“The comments go to the applicants and they prepare responses for them and make revisions to the project accordingly,” Hollman said. “Then it comes to the town board as a final EIS and the board decides whether to accept the EIS. If it does, it would make environmental findings on the project.”
As complex and lengthy as it is, the entire environmental review process — from the first draft of the EIS to its acceptance as a final document — is just one step.
“The town board is the lead agency in this case,” Wilson said. “It won’t happen before the end of April, but maybe by early May they will adopt the final EIS and issue its finding statements. There will be a determination of environmental review statements and then the concept plan will be implemented.”
Wilson touched on key factors to consider once the review is complete: sewage, water and storm water design, the last of which the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will have to collaborate upon.
Beyond environmental facets and improvements on the property, though, is an even longer-term consideration — the timeline of demolition and construction on the site. In an ideal world, once the existing buildings are taken down, all 750 residential units would be constructed at once. Wilson explained that it will happen in phases, however.
“We are working on when things will be constructed,” Wilson said. “I’m anticipating construction on the site will take 5–8 years. You could build 1000 residential units in a year but can you occupy all of them in a year? No, so you need to plan for that in phasing.”
Speaking of construction, both Wilson and Hollman expressed that EFG/DRA has not communicated to them which specific businesses are interested in becoming tenants on the planned retail space along Route 9. Wilson said they have made it known that there has been some correspondence, but no names were provided to the Planning Department.
As for the planned entrance into the property, according to the NYSDOT public comments document available on the Town of Poughkeepsie website, several traffic changes need to be made on Route 9 to accommodate the increase in volume once it is in use and open to the public.
The NYSDOT has stated that they would like to see Hudson View Drive — currently the main entrance to the Hudson Heritage property off Route 9 — relocated north to form a “four-way signalized intersection” that connects the property to the east and the southern entrance to Quiet Cove Park to the west. Installing a traffic light at the proposed intersection will alleviate potential traffic issues that would arise from having both the northbound left turn lane into Quiet Cove Park and the entrance to the Hudson Heritage property directly across from each other. The current configuration would pose great risks even with a stop sign to direct traffic.
The EIS once again comes into play in this situation, as it is very important when considering traffic changes.
“The environmental review includes review of potential traffic impact,” Hollman said. “If it identifies traffic impact, such as along the Route 9 corridor, it has to show how those impacts are mitigated, likely in the form of improvements offsite or onsite.
“For example, they plan to make an entrance off Route 9. How that intersection would be designed and controlled would need to be in accordance with the EIS. A project of this size is going to have more than just a stop sign.”
Wilson said serious construction and demolition on the property will definitely start by the end of 2017, with an initial target on the fall. He also said the earliest retail providers could occupy space on the property would be “well into 2018.”
The Hudson Heritage Project is one of several major residential/commercial projects underway in the Poughkeepsie area. An apartment complex called Water Club Luxury Living just recently opened along Route 9 and another residential/commercial project at the former Dutton site is already underway.
George Carfagno, project manager for DRA, declined to comment for this story.
