Concerns raised at an Aug. 30 public hearing led the developer to consider reducing the size of this proposed 568-unit development adjacent to Walkway Over the Hudson.

On Monday, Aug. 30, more than 50 concerned citizens attended a public hearing about One Dutchess Avenue, a proposal to put 586 residential housing units on the former Dutton Lumberyard along Poughkeepsie's riverfront just north of Walkway Over the Hudson. Scenic Hudson strongly supports the idea of cleaning up this former industrial site as part of Poughkeepsie's revitalization, but we've been working to raise of awareness about some problems with the current proposal. On Aug. 29, the Poughkeepsie Journal highlighted a number of these issues in a strongly worded editorial. At Monday's hearing, it was clear many citizens share our concerns that the project is too big, would increase traffic and block views and doesn't allow for enough public access to the waterfront. In response to these comments, a developer's representative agreed to attempt to scale back the proposal. (see this Poughkeepsie Journal article for details about the hearing). We look forward to seeing a scaled-back proposal from the developer and hope the property can be revitalized with balanced development that fits the scale of our waterfront, provides a positive boost to the local economy and offers full public access to residents and visitors alike.