Community Groups Hold Forum on Redeveloping Hudson's South Bay

(HUDSON) - A coalition of community groups and businesspeople - called the South Bay Coalition - is holding a forum to engage the public in discussing opportunities to revitalize South Bay, an important part of the City of Hudson's waterfront. A key goal of the meeting is to inform and inspire residents to participate fully in the City of Hudson's new efforts to create a redevelopment plan for its waterfront. The South Bay Coalition wants to re-establish South Bay as a vital community resource with lasting economic strength based on recreational use and environmental protection.

The South Bay Coalition forum will be Tuesday, Sept. 6, from 6-8 p.m. at Basilica Industria, 110 Front St., Hudson. Participants will learn about research the group has conducted for two years and plans for involving the public in creating a vibrant and healthy Hudson waterfront. Residents will be encouraged to share ideas for redeveloping South Bay and the rest of the city's riverfront. For more information on the session, call Susan Falzon at Friends of Hudson, (518) 822-0334 or e-mail at falzon@mhcable.com.

South Bay Coalition Chairman Patrick Doyle stated, "The celebration of culture and the assembly of human beings on our waterfront is the vortex and center point of the unity of this community."

Also the South Bay Coalition will encourage the public to join a Wednesday, Sept. 7, meeting of the city's Waterfront Advisory Committee. The committee is working on a local waterfront revitalization plan, and the South Bay Coalition hopes residents will use the Sept. 7 session to call for a facilitated public process to create a revitalization plan that benefits the entire community.

This is a tremendous opportunity for everyone in our communities to come together. Unlike other issues that have divided us, there is really only one side on this one - to preserve and renew our treasured Hudson waterfront and South Bay, and ensure access to it for generations to come," said Susan Falzon, deputy director of Friends of Hudson. "We encourage everyone in the city and county to attend this meeting to work together for a positive outcome."

With the defeat of the proposed St. Lawrence Cement plant, South Bay presents a monumental opportunity for appropriate waterfront development and environmental protection. In his ruling against the proposed plant, NYS Secretary of State Randy Daniels wrote, "It is recommended a new 'Waterfront Zone' be created that addresses the goals of the Vision Plan and the specifics of the Master Plan. The zone should be created immediately."

"Residents of Hudson can have waterfront businesses and public uses that create jobs and celebrate the area's unique beauty and historic significance," said Ned Sullivan, president of Scenic Hudson. "Communities along the Hudson River, notably Yonkers, Sleepy Hollow and Beacon are working to revitalize their waterfronts, and Hudson should be no exception."

During the 19th century, South Bay was home to a thriving whaling industry and a place of striking beauty immortalized by Hudson River School painters. Railroad construction and various industrial operations severely damaged the bay's natural and scenic splendor. However, creative development and restoration strategies could usher in a new heyday for the waterfront.

The South Bay Coalition includes Basilica Industria, Friends of Hudson, Scenic Hudson, Time and Space Limited, Columbia County Council on the Arts, Niijii Films, Inc., and concerned elected officials, business people, and local residents.