What You Might Hear
We know that there is a lot of interest in this project throughout Hudson, and you will hear about it through a variety of sources.
We believe it’s equally important to hear all sides, and we would like to clarify some of the things that you might hear.
We will continue to listen to the community, and update this space with new facts, information, and responses.
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD…
Eminent Domain.
No homes or property will be taken by eminent domain. All road improvements will be constructed within the existing right of way, or the improvements will be done on land owned or under agreement to be purchased by the Friel Family. Eminent domain is not a consideration.
Sagamore Crossing will raise my taxes.
We can assure you that this project will not cause your taxes to go up, and in fact, the development will provide substantial net tax revenue to the Town. It’s premature to estimate numbers until plans are finalized, but the increase in revenue for the Town generated by Sagamore Crossing should be sufficient to stabilize tax bills and also to pay for some improvement to the infrastructure, which the Town has not been able to do.
Sagamore Crossing will be a mega mall, just another strip mall.
Not true. Sagamore Crossing is not an enclosed mall. It will be a mixed-use project where the uses will complement one another. What this means is that the property will have a variety of uses for the community to enjoy. Retail shopping is one component. We expect that the retail shopping will include pedestrian-oriented centers that include sidewalks, landscaped gathering areas as well as a few larger merchants new to the region. Our current proposed site use plan also includes an assisted living/retirement campus, a potential hotel/convention center and an office park. We will actively market the office space to businesses including educational institutions, medical concerns and high tech office users. We have also included a 20-acre riverfront park and approximately 100 acres of open space throughout the site.
Please click here for more information about the proposed uses for the site.
Sagamore Crossing will make traffic worse.
Actually, the opposite is true. As those of us who live and travel through Hudson know, traffic is currently an issue. If there are no changes, it will only get worse, regardless of what happens on our site. If we plan, we can improve the traffic situation.
It is true that more traffic will be created as the project is built. But, the roadway improvements and interchange that we are proposing will significantly improve traffic on Sagamore Bridge Road and Lowell Road. Take a look at our design. Not only will the roadway design handle the new travelers to our site, it will reduce the number of cars that travel on Lowell Road by diverting vehicles to the new proposed connector road parallel to Lowell Road.
It’s important to note that we are required to carefully analyze traffic for the next ten years, with and without our development. We are also required to show that the road improvements will handle all of the new traffic generated by our site. The preliminary traffic studies conclude that, in ten years, if we build the proposed development and include the road improvements, the traffic conditions will be better than if there was no development and no road improvements. We have committed to the Planning Board that traffic impacts from any new development will be addressed within the capacity of the new roadways.
The Green Meadow folks are proposing the very same interchange off the Sagamore Bridge, through the very same wetlands.
Not true. We have spent months creating a new roadway design. As compared to the earlier submissions, the newly proposed interchange and connector road have both been shifted away from wetlands and wetland buffers. The impact to wetlands with this interchange and connector road has decreased significantly. Our preliminary plans show an impact to wetland and buffer areas that is reduced almost 40%.
The interchange itself has been redesigned to address concerns of the Industrial Park users, and to address concerns expressed by members of the Planning Board. In the end, the interchange resolves some existing problems at busy Lowell Road intersections.
There are many benefits and improvements for Hudson through this proposed design. Please click here to learn more.
The Friel Family is using the very same traffic consultants as the former developers.
Traffic in this area is complex. There are a few firms in this area that are qualified, and we are using one of them known as GPI. The traffic engineers of GPI represent private developers, institutions, and municipalities. They are highly qualified professional engineers and have worked hard to help us create a design that improves traffic flow. They work closely with several other independent engineers representing the state and the town. In the end, the traffic solutions will be a team effort of all concerned.
I don’t understand why there are no specific plans or tenants for the Green Meadow Site. Why are they waiting to present a site design?
We have worked hard to come up with a roadway plan that improves the existing traffic flows, and that can handle future new traffic. The layout of the interchange and connector road had to be established before site design could begin. Now we can focus on site uses and design. We have established development areas designated for particular uses. We are marketing those areas as part of an overall master plan.
The wetlands in the project area are going to be harmed.
The project will fill in wetlands and displace wildlife.
In redesigning the new interchange and the new connector road, we were very careful to take another look at the location of roads and their impact to wetlands and wetland buffers. We worked hard to modify the road alignment to protect the important areas. In the end, we have reduced impacts substantially, and the wetland areas that we protect are generally the most important. We can truly say that we will minimize our impact to only those areas necessary for the safe design of the interchange and roadways.
With the current retail in Hudson and the project across the river, there will be no demand for Sagamore Crossing.
The demand for development land fluctuates a great deal. In the present market, there is substantial demand for retail. We expect that the demand for other uses will build as things move forward. Right now, we have one or more groups interested in the assisted living/retirement campus.
Sagamore Crossing will impact current retail stores and local businesses.
This project will not adversely affect existing Hudson businesses. It will bring new life to the business community. The majority of businesses and stores that come will not be the same as what is here now, although some local businesses may choose to relocate to the lifestyle center. We are seeking tenants and users that will be unique to the region. Many businesses, including some retailers, can’t come to this region because there are no parcels of land that are suitable. This piece of land offers something that others don’t have.
What exactly is an “Assisted Living/Retirement Campus” and why is it such a benefit to this project?
An assisted living/retirement campus, or a continued care-retirement campus (CCRC) as it is sometimes called, is a residential campus community that is designed to provide a program of services specifically tailored to the needs of an aging population. It is a nationally recognized designation for a planned community for “aging in place.” Individuals usually enter the community at age 72 – 75 and have an apartment type unit where they are offered services typical of assisted living facilities. As time goes on, residents may receive more help, as needed. Services that are offered include: food and meal preparation, fitness, personal care, physical therapy, nursing, medical, spiritual, and social. At the highest level of care, if necessary, there are skilled nursing home beds available (on a temporary or permanent basis).
For our project, a CCRC offers a transition area between existing residential homes and the retail development. There will be no retail development within 1000 feet of the homes in the Fairway Drive neighborhood.
When will this project start? Are there phases?
We expect that Sagamore Crossing will be built in stages over the course of 10 years or more.
This is due in part to the various proposed uses of the site, the approval processes with town and state officials. We will be discussing phases with the Planning Board. Our goal is to plan the development to allow construction in steps. We will carefully plan each phase in order to enable a smooth transition from one phase to the next and in order to address any potential problems that may arise in developing the site over time.
