Thumbs Up For Hudson’s Shared Summer Streets Trial Weekend
From the Department of Pretty Good News, it appears that Hudson’s Shared Summer Streets trial run through last weekend was a success. The goal of the program is to begin the process of opening up Warren Street to businesses, residents and visitors. It’s time, it seems, to practice safe, physical distancing in a social setting. Picture a version of Hudson’s Winter Walk, but without the snowflakes and shoulder-to-shoulder crowds. Instead, there are tables and chairs six feet apart, placed in parking spaces, and people wearing masks. Also, last weekend, rain.
“I actually think that the rain probably helped,” said Tambra Dillon, executive director of Hudson Hall and one of the community leaders who worked on the plan. “It wasn’t a crazy, mobbed situation.” An unruly crowd or haphazard rollout may have led to doubts about continuing the program. “But people were actually shopping, and some shop owners were saying they’ve never been busier, at least in a long time.”
That’s the goal of the Shared Summer Streets, a collaboration between the City of Hudson, Hudson Hall, and FUTURE HUDSON, with financial support from Columbia Economic Development Corporation and The Spark of Hudson. Technical support came from Design for Six Feet, a group of urban designers, architects and others from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture.
With input from the city attorney, police, fire, EMS, Department of Public Works, code enforcement and the Columbia County Department of Health, the plan came together on an expedited timeline. The gist: Businesses and organizations along Warren Street would be allowed to apply for a permit to occupy on-street parking spaces on Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Restaurants could place socially distanced tables and chairs out, stores could set out merchandise, organizations could put up a table for their materials.
The street wouldn’t be closed entirely, but local traffic only would be allowed at a 5mph speed limit. Visitors would be allowed to park on empty spaces on Warren, and maps indicating parking spaces off Warren would be handed out.
According to the businesses contacted, the Shared Summer Streets concept worked.
“The feedback we’ve received has been overwhelmingly positive,” Dillon said. “People were actually shopping, and the exhibits at Hudson Hall went off without a hitch. We even sold quite a bit of work. People are really starving for a non-digital art experience.”
Many of the concerns that businesses had were mitigated, she said. Some were worried about curbside pickup being an issue, but cars could still get through. Others feared that every parking space would be used, but there were still plenty of them left.
Immediately following the trial weekend, the City sent out a survey to both residents/visitors and business owners to get their feedback. Late yesterday, Mayor Kamal Johnson announced, with an executive order, that the program will continue, And, in fact, Shared Summer Streets has been expanded to Monday through Friday, 4-10 p.m., and amended the hours on Saturday and Sundays to 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
“This should have been in Hudson years ago,” said Joe Fiero, who owns American Glory. “It was excellent. To have the ability to serve people outside or inside really opened up the streets and Hudson.” And for Fiero, it was profitable; his revenue over the weekend was 80% of what he made during the same weekend last year. On top of that, he said, people were behaving responsibly, even when he declined to serve shots. This was not a time for sloppy drinking.
Photo credit: JD Urban
“No one was offended about putting a mask on,” he said. “We made portable table dividers that we could disinfect, and they worked perfectly Everyone was really cool. You’d be surprised how many people like to sit in the rain.”
Sarah Dibben, one of the owners of Supernatural Coffee, was also positive about the initiative and hopes it continues, although she knew some merchants who weren’t as enthused.
“Some of them don’t want to take on the burden of the cost,” she said. “It’s $24 per parking space per weekend. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but that’s $100 per month. We’re already paying really high rents.” Still, she said, Shared Summer Streets is a really great social experiment.
Of course, Hudson’s not the only city to implement the “open streets” concept. It’s happening all over the country. In the Berkshires, Great Barrington narrowed Railroad Street’s travel lane on the weekend to allow expanded outdoor seating for downtown eateries. After all, there has to be some way to reopen a community’s business district safely and successfully.
“I really see this as becoming an attraction,” said American Glory’s Fiero. And maybe it wasn’t an accident that the moment he chose to video the scene outside his restaurant, Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” came on over the sound system.
“It was just so perfect,” he said. “Here were a bunch of people, at a difficult time, all getting along.”
Please Support Rural Intelligence
We want to continue delivering the entertaining, informative and upbeat stories in the inimitable Rural Intelligence style, despite a pandemic. But we need your support to keep us going. Please consider making a donation; even a small amount helps secure our future. Support us now.
(If you prefer, mail a check to: 45 Pine Grove Ave., Suite 303, Kingston, NY 12401.)
Support Now