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Economic Development Commission
Minutes of Meeting— May 13, 2014
The Hudson Economic Development Commission met at the Hudson Town Hall, 78 Main Street. At 7:30 p.m., Chairman Donald Garcia called the meeting to order.
Members Present: Donald Garcia, Michael DiBona, Hugh Gardner, Matt Tucker, Tom Davis, Sarah Cressy
Others Present: Kerin Shea – Community & Economic Development Assistant
Members Not Present: Christopher Tibbals, Tony Loureiro, William Sullivan
Hand-outs: 2013 EDC Annual Report
Annual Report
The annual Report was submitted to the Executive Assistant’s office back in March. Mr. Garcia reviewed & approved it beforehand. It has been published in this year’s Town Report book & was handed out at Town Meeting on May 5. Mr. Garcia thanked Ms. Shea for writing the report. Ms. Shea noted there were two items missing from the report, 1) the election of Don Garcia as Chair & Bill Sullivan as Vice-Chair, back in May of 2013, & Intel’s announcement of the closing of Fab 2, back in September of 2013. No members had any comments or questions.
Old Business
- Liquor Licenses - After some discussion, the Liquor License Articles passed at the May Town Meeting. Al Pizzimento, a non-resident business owner, was concerned about the parking problem in the Downtown. Many individuals spoke up about the economic development benefits of these articles. One individual hoped the Highland Commons article would bring jobs to the west end of town, jobs that are within walking distance of the Central Street neighborhood. The meeting was not dissolved & has been continued until May 19. Members were urged to attend to get a quorum.
- Parking Study – The Community Development (CD) Department currently has the Parking Study out to bid. The RFP’s are due this Friday, May 16, 2014. The Pre-Bid conference was held on May 8, with 6 consultants attending. Approximately 15 consultants have pulled the RFP. Mr. Garcia asked if this was being funded in part by HBA? Ms. Shea confirmed this, adding that the Town appropriated matching funds at Town Meeting. If costs come in over budget, the CD Department may be able to assist. Ms. Cressy noted the new lot on South Street purchased by
the Hudson Gun Shop. He is renting spaces to merchants by the month. She was not sure of the cost, perhaps $30/month she believed. Currently, there are 3 spots rented. Ms. Shea asked how many spaces were in the lot in total & who had rented them? Ms. Cressy said she would find out. Ms. Shea mentioned that there had been some discussion about allowing Railroad Ave to be overnight parking. This may help alleviate some of the pressure Downtown.
- Other Town Project Updates – The Route 85 project is back on track. The work should be completed in late July or August. The Houghton Street Bridge is on schedule to complete work in September or October. Mr. Garcia asked if there had been any news about the Washington Street Bridge. Ms. Shea said no, there has been no official word. She has heard that the designer has been having trouble with the utility phasing of the project. Utilities would have to be relocated every time the lane construction switches, which would be three times. The Town is considering writing a letter. The design process will have a 25% design hearing, a large public forum for public comments.
- Bonazzoli Property - Mr. Tucker asked about the status of the Bonazzoli property. Ms. Shea explained that the contractor for the Route 85 project was still staging on the property & that he should be done by the end of July. Although the wells are being monitored, with the site cleared, the Town can begin the process of conducting surveys & appraisals. The Town has a lot of due diligence to do before it can be auctioned off. There are many interested parties in the property.
New Business
- TJ Maxx is having its Grand Opening May 15 up at Highland Commons.
- CrossFit Rail Trail is opening this summer, in the Rite Aid plaza on Washington Street. Ms. Shea has also heard rumors that Planet Fitness was looking at the old TJ Maxx space in the Hannaford’s plaza, but wondered if this rumor was being confused with CrossFit.
- A developer has met with the Town regarding redeveloping the Hudson Catholic property. Both the St. Michaels Elementary & Hudson Catholic buildings would be torn down to make way for a large retail space with a drive-through, and a smaller bank-type building also on-site. The developer would also build a 100-space parking lot for the church, on the upper area of the property, separated from the retail by a retaining wall. During the meeting, the developer was reminded that DPW is redoing Main Street, to prepare for Hudson’s 150th anniversary. The street would not be allowed to be disrupted for 5 years after paving. The developer is meeting with the Town’s Internal Traffic Committee (ITC) on May 30 at 10 AM.
- Anver Corp on Parmenter road is putting on an addition to their facility. They make vacuum lift equipment & have approximately 120 employees.
- Affordable Interior Systems (AIS) has moved their manufacturing from Hudson to Leominster, but will continue to keep its corporate headquarters here.
- Country Glass & Aluminum’s new facility on Cherry Street looks really nice. They have put a lot of work into the building, including the paving & signage. The EDC members noted again that the businesses on Cherry Street would strongly benefit from an entrance off of Main Street.
- There is a pending sale of the Budget Office Building on Main Street, between Vic’s 50’s Diner & St. Luke’s Church. It currently houses J&S hair Salon & a long vacant store front. There are approximately 4 apartments upstairs. The developer, from Marlboro, has no plans for the property other that keep the first floor retail & renovate the upper floors. There is a small parking area behind the building, enough for 1 space per tenant.
- The Town met with a developer interested in 19 Brent Drive, a 19 acre site in the eastern part of town. The developer wanted to put housing there, as the back edge of the property is across the street from Charter Oaks Country Club. As Hudson is over its 10% affordable housing stock, it can turn down a 40B. In addition, the parcel is zoned Industrial & does not allow multi-family. The individual parcel cannot be rezoned, as it would be considered spot-zoning. An entire area would have to be rezoned. The property is also in the wetland protection district, which limits certain activity in the area. One allowable use would be to extend the road & make the property another industrial avenue, like Bonazzoli Ave. Mr. Sullivan has been working with Borg Design, a company currently located on Apsley
Street, who needs a larger facility. They are interested in the site.
- Cabot Ridge, the 40B apartment complex going in on Cabot Road may be sold to a new developer. This developer wants to remove all of the amenities, such as the clubhouse, garden & playground, and make the apartments “more high-end.” As this constitutes a major change to the site, it will require going back to the ZBA.
Minutes
Sarah Cressy, seconded by Matt Tucker, made a motion to approve the minutes of March 10, 2014.
Vote: 6-0-0, unanimous
Adjournment
Don Garcia, seconded by Mike DiBona, moved to adjourn at 8:30 PM.
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