What makes Hudson a great place to live?  There are many things!  Part of it is the people; we are an incredibly intelligent town with more than double the national average of completed undergraduate and graduate degree holders. We place a high value on volunteerism and philanthropy and your “neighbor” who will help out in a time of need might not actually live next to you.  Part of it is our history and the visible landscape—both built and unbuilt--that reflects a small town established by New England farmers more than 200 years ago.  Part of it is the courage we had to protect that landscape in the 1990’s when Hudson said “No!” to the typical pattern of 100% suburban build-out like we see in Twinsburg, Streetsboro, Solon, and Stow.  (Schenk vs. City of Hudson, 114 F.3d 590 (6^th Cir. 1997); and 997 F.Supp. 902 (N.D. Ohio 1998))

I see that our competitive edge—those things that make living in Hudson feel distinct from the surrounding living options—has been at risk in the last 10 years if not longer.  We are burdened with staff who still cling to 1950’s ideals of how “development” and “economic development” happen in the 21^st century.  We allowed the construction of a corporate business center—on the outskirts of town—that didn’t have access to the necessary infrastructure to properly launch. Most recently, the city had to be prodded to move forward with the completion of Phase II of the First & Main development (which was long overdue and owed to the taxpayers as part of the original deal with the old Morse Controls property), and when the City finally did move, it rolled out the plans poorly and could not stop itself long enough to listen to the people who believed that the development would have an unduly negative impact on the town.  One candidate for this position even went so far as to encourage city council to proceed with Phase II against the vote defeating it in November 2019.

Not all of our issues can be pinned on leadership, however, since many times their decisions are constrained by the mechanisms we have in place for them to work within.  If elected, I would encourage Hudson to:

• Re-envision Phase II. Before contemplating any new plan for the land, surface and examine any issues previously hidden from citizens to get a full accounting of the scope and cost of remediation.  We could achieve much with phytoremediation (using plants to extract contaminants) for a period of time before sketching out a development that serves as a visual “bridge” between the east and west sides of the railroad tracks on Owen Brown Street, and the mixed use of First & Main with the attached homes of Cutler Lane.  While this may include a few multi-family structures, it would necessarily also include some single-family homes.
• Do the hard work on the Land Development Code (LDC) to bring balance to zoning code provisions that are too harsh on the front end of development and too relaxed on the back end. The Planning Commission got started with this process a few years ago, but many of the changes that were warranted became too cumbersome to see through.  Our LDC is a patchwork of provisions that do not always line up and do not always make sense.  We have not leveled the playing field with the expectations that historic property in our city—specifically what lies in the old township—will be protected in an equal measure.  Before we have lost all of the historic resources outside of the city center, we need to reexamine this ordinance!
• Be consistent and serious about code enforcement with all landowners. Many cities have helpful, fair, and adequately-staffed enforcement divisions.  Why doesn’t Hudson?  Zoning provisions protect citizen’s home values and create similar expectations between neighbors for use and development of land.  Some changes have been proposed to make less work for the Architectural Review board in the historic district.  That doesn’t help the rest of the city at all.
• Refrain from rushing into any new plans for the Youth Development Center (YDC) property. It should be protected from speculative development by creating a mission and vision for its controlled use based on complete and documented input from all residents.  We need to reassess the appropriateness of large commercial or corporate uses in that disconnected location.
• Promote refurbishment of existing housing stock. So many homeowners in the last few years have undertaken major remodelings of mid-century homes that have refreshed the property but also enlivened the neighborhood.  As many of the houses from Hudson’s big housing boom start to hit their third and fourth decades, our city needs to play an active role in safeguarding the extant homes and their values for the city’s long-term stability.  “Empty-nester” housing is speculative and of short-term value as we now have four major retirement communities in the city to serve the “leading-edge” baby boomer population; the need for this housing option will only decline in the future as we have reached the peak demand of baby boomer retirement housing.

I am the candidate for this position who bridges Hudson’s past and Hudson’s future because I have lived here long enough to accurately perceive our municipal strengths and weaknesses.  I have a mature, thoughtful, studied, and collaborative approach to development that will lead our city into a stable and comfortable future.  I have the courage to insist on mutually beneficial development initiatives because Hudson has much more to lose than to gain from frivolous construction.

Your vote for me is a vote for Hudson’s vibrant future!