Landing Lands, But What is Mixed Use?

AVR’s Hudson Landing project cleared its final environmental review hurdle last night. The Kingston Freeman reports that the Kingston planning board “unanimously adopted a findings statement, a document that outlines what developer AVR Acquisition Corp. of Yonkers needs to do to mitigate potential environmental impacts from the proposed 1,750-unit project.” Read the story here.

Next up is a site plan for the proposed development, which will feature a mixed-use, neighborhood-style design with residential housing and small commercial space. Public use of the waterfront is also planned.

Mixed use projects have been around for a long time. In fact, the idea is born out of the small-town “main streets” that were once so popular in America. Main streets featured residential housing above commercial space, a true cityscape. Suburban sprawl wiped out many main streets following WWII. But interestingly, these types of arrangements are making a comeback.

…Which makes sense. As the Baby Boomer generation ages, the demand for housing near retail and medical services is important as folks near retirement. From an environmental perspective, mixed use makes sense too. The design encourages shopping locally, and walking instead of driving.

A recent story I did for Retail Traffic magazine also mentions a development trend that centers on redeveloping existing buildings for mixed-use projects — a sustainable model. Read the story, here.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz

1 thought on “Landing Lands, But What is Mixed Use?”

  1. Once again the corporate person rules over the requirements of the hueman person! a loop-hole use of our Stimulus monies to tare down & was given to them as a PORK gift. Mixed use in today’s world of the global corporate citizen’s assists the retail stores & that is not a bad thing, just fact. Their idea of mixed use is to encourage businesses to open – trying to compete with the corporate Box stores designed to eliminate competition; which is like fighting automatic weapons with bags of dynamite….. My apologies for the anology, but I see it as no different from the people of Iraq trying to communicate with those bringing corporate democracy!

    What is needed are homes designed for in-home businesses. This has not been addressed & I doubt that there are any Toxic Brains about that even care as long as they think that this development will one day bring down taxes – which has yet to happen with any development of this absurd magnitude that is already built! Is it too late for this development to be mandated GREEN built? How dare I even give thought to requiring something other than what the century olde laws request!

    This toxic Planning Board of Mr. Sottile are the one’s that caused a 7 year wait; AVR is also directly responsible for tying up the Planning Board for 7 years. No guide lines were given to the historic revelance of Rondout & AVR could care less as shown by what they had the audacity to present at their first showing. Nothing has yet to be shown as to the fence wall that will be preventing children from going near the cliffs; neighborhood play-grounds; community club house; oh, I forgot this is to be a bedroom community with few children.

    Next we have everything being built with high toxicity chemicals to the glee of our religionist married hospitals here in Kingston.

    I truly welcome replies in this new age of REPLACE THE GOVERNMENT WITH THE CORPORATION…… No wonder the US is so hated globally & at what point do they start taking it out on the American people because the U.S. believes that the path to being healthy is to first get sick from their environment.

    How dare any from the US of ________ in the America’s venture out and see how advanced the rest of the world is! Sad, truly sad!

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