In the Spring of 2006, a survey of over 400 residents was conducted by Hudson’s Waterfront Advisory Steering Committee (WASC), which was appointed by the Common Council. It asked respondents to rate a wide range of possibilities for the Waterfront, from outdoor dining to heavy industrial activity.
People were asked to rate each item on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest. Here were the public’s top 12 highest-ranked activities:
And here were the public’s bottom 12 lowest-ranked activities:
If there is one priority that the State emphasizes to those developing a Waterfront Revitalization Plan, it is the need for it to be driven by public input. Yet these clear sentiments from a broad spectrum of people with a stake in the future of the Waterfront were ignored or even snubbed by the LWRP team, headed up by Linda Mussmann in conjuction with attorney Cheryl Roberts and planner Paul Buckhurst of BFJ.
NOTE: I'm aware of these results because I myself did all the laborious data entry for the 400-plus surveys, with assistance from Geeta Cheddie. The results became public when I presented them at a WASC public meeting in March 2006.
