HUDSON — After much debate Thursday, the city planning board ruled the Pocketbook Factory project would not have significant harmful environmental impacts.
The board completed its state environmental review, mandated by the Department of Environmental Conserrvation, at its regular meeting Thursday. Six members voted to pass a resolution declaring the proposed mixed-use space at 549 Washington St. would not have an adverse effect on the area. One member was absent.
Planning board members need to approve the project site plan, which was first submitted in May.
The proposed redevelopment of the factory at 549 Washington St. is estimated to cost $25.6 million and will include a hotel with 40 guest rooms, a wellness center, a restaurant and bar, a public indoor lounge and outdoor courtyard as well as commercial spaces for the arts, retail and creative office, and nonprofit uses, according to the IDA application.
During Thursday’s review, the board determined the project would have a positive impact on a historic resource through the adaptive reuse of the existing Empire Knitting Mill — Harder Knitting Company building, and the facility is eligible for listing on the state and national Registers of Historic Places, according to the resolution.
The review found the project could have a moderate to large impact on noise, but not light and odor. Outdoor events could be held to generate noise exceeding local regulations, and the company will hire a consultant to mitigate noise impacts on the community, according to the resolution.
The noise concern was renewed at Thursday’s meeting, as Washington Street residents said recent events had unexpectedly loud music.
“These were basically very informal events that just bring the community in to see the space,” project attorney Andrew Howard said. “None of the grounds have been landscaped, none of the structures are in place ... was it loud? It certainly was. Too loud? Absolutely, but that isn’t going to be the normal course of operation.”
The project will have small impacts on area transportation, board members decided, as the factory’s proposed use would result in more traffic than a warehouse, according to the resolution.
Sufficient parking will be available to residents and visitors once the project is complete, as property owners will buy a minimum of 40 parking permits from the city. Events with more than 75 attendees will park off-site with shuttle services.
Parking has been a contentious issue through the project’s development and approval process, as the planning board sought a comprehensive parking review for both the Pocketbook Factory and Galvan affordable housing project in August.
At the time, board member Laura Margolis said a complete study of the parking impacts of both projects is key.
“We want to approve these projects, but we want them to work with the neighborhood,” Margolis said. “It’s not fair to the community, it’s not fair to the applicant. The city needs to jump in and help. We have two good applicants here: the pocketbook factory and the Galvan apartments ... if we all work together — otherwise we’re doing little piecemeal stuff here.”
The negative declaration allows the Hudson Industrial Development Agency to make a decision on the Pocketbook Factory’s application for a payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT agreement. The IDA will hold a special meeting Wednesday with only that project on the agenda, according to meeting materials.
The benefits of the project total nearly $1.4 million, according to the IDA.
In addition to creating 63 full-time jobs, the Pocketbook Factory intends to invest in a workforce development program as a result of a high demand for hospitality while facing a shortage of workers, according to the application.
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October 20, 2021 at 03:01AM
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Factory project passes environmental review | Columbia County | hudsonvalley360.com - Hudson Valley 360
"Factory" - Google News
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