What happened.The Planning Board's July 21 hearing on the Hudson Housing Authority's plan to replace Bliss Towers didn't close, so comment is still open. The board heard from 13 people that night, nearly all in support, and continues the hearing August 11. Residents can still submit written comments to board clerk Linda Fenoff ([email protected]) or through the board's online portal until then.

Why it matters.Planning Board Chair Ron Bogle explained why: "This is a very important process for the Planning Board. Rather than having public comments in the midst of the process, we conclude the process with public comments. So it gives the community the last voice in this process." No vote has been taken; the board is still weighing scale, site design, soil conditions, and funding certainty alongside the support voiced at the hearing.

Where it’s headed.The hearing continues at the Planning Board's August 11 regular meeting. Written comments are accepted until then.

What happened.After a building partially collapsed on Columbia Street, the city's code enforcement officer proposed rewriting Hudson's vacant-building law so rehabilitation and securing a structure come before demolition, which would become a last resort. He's also proposing that any lot cleared by demolition be graded and maintained afterward, rather than left as a fenced, overgrown pit.

Why it matters.Current code lists demolition as the first compliance option for a property on the vacant-building registry, before an owner is asked to consider rehabilitation. The officer pointed to the collapsed building at 225 1/2 Columbia Street, which he had been about to place on that registry, as the kind of case the reordering is meant to address.

Where it’s headed.The proposed language goes to the Legal Committee next, to be drafted into a local law for a full Council vote.