EXPERIENCED LAND USE ATTORNEY
RETAINED TO ADDRESS KEY LEGAL ISSUES

Replansky's extensive track record includes assisting municipalities and citizens throughout the region to properly enact and enforce land use planning laws.

Replansky acted as special counsel to the Town of Rhinebeck in the recent passage of their Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Law and Wetlands Law, and has served as the attorney for area municipalities such as the towns of Gallatin and North East. In Greenport, he assisted residents who opposed a gravel mine expansion, winning a case at the trial court level and on appeal to enforce a restrictive covenant. His work representing the towns of Ancram and Copake regarding the mile-long Palumbo gravel mine along the Route 22 corridor resulted in a rare denial of the mining permit by the DEC Commissioner. Replansky then worked with Ancram and Copake in developing Scenic Overlay Protection Districts, and has also represented the Granger Group, winning a significant legal victory this past winter over the Wilzig racetrack in Taghkanic.

"We are very pleased to bring an attorney of Warren Replansky's caliber and experience to the table. Warren will add his substantial professional expertise to the concerns which citizens have raised about the Waterfront plan," said Jung. "Residents' detailed and heartfelt comment will now be backed up by expert legal counsel. Decision-makers at all levels of government will now have the benefit of a ‘second opinion' on a draft plan which could shape the future of Hudson for generations to come. And with the City looking to have its planners at BFJ review and incorporate the public's comments into the LWRP, this expert advice is all the more timely and necessary."

WATERFRONT PLAN SHOULD REFLECT
A COMMUNITY VISION AND CONSENSUS

"Our first task will be to secure a Hudson Waterfront plan that will provide real economic, cultural, social and ecological benefits," Pratt agreed. "Working with our attorney and other consultants, our new Alliance looks forward to demonstrating Hudson's ability to enact a more positive, forward-looking and sustainable Waterfront vision. Unfortunately, the City has not been getting objective or adequate legal advice. Citizen hopes and concerns have been brushed aside in favor of the narrow interests of corporate entities such as Holcim and its subcontractor, O&G. Instead of a plan reflecting the community's long-range goals and vision, we're dealing with a pinched, short-sighted document larded with references to specific companies, groups and conditions which may not apply even a few years from now."

For example, the Alliance notes that the current draft LWRP's vision for the South Bay area has been shaped by short-term accommodations of the heavy-industrial demands of Holcim and O&G -- despite steady calls for phasing out such incompatible uses. Private corporate rights have been exaggerated at the expense of the public's rights of access to the river, recreational opportunities, conservation goals, and more sustainable economic development.

Such official goals have been consistently and clearly articulated in documents such as the Hudson Vision Plan, Comprehensive Plan, and the Secretary of State's 2005 St. Lawrence Cement Greenport decision, all bolstered by thousands of virtually-unanimous public comments received since the Waterfront plan process was revived in 2006.

"At the outset of this process,State officials as well as the City Attorney unequivocally stated that this plan should not assume that any Waterfront parcels will remain in any particular hands," Pratt noted. "Residents were also told that the Plan can shape what occurs on all properties throughout the Waterfront zone. At some point, their own advice was set aside, but it's time to return to those solid fundamental precepts. Those who sought to shape this draft plan behind closed doors forgot that LWRPs are, above all, driven by community consensus -- and require public acceptance in order to be effective."

ABOUT THE VALLEY ALLIANCE
AND SAVE THE SOUTH BAY

The Alliance's scope will include the entire mid-Hudson Valley with an initial focus on Columbia County and the City of Hudson. Its mission includes promoting smart land use planning, protecting public health and vital habitats, preserving historic resources, and encouraging sustainable economic growth in the region. An advisory committee of residents throughout the region is in formation.

Jung and Pratt are best known for organizing the 1998-2005 struggle to prevent the siting of Holcim's massive, polluting cement proposal here in Columbia County. Since 2007, along with former Hudson Main Street Manager Hilary Hillman, contractor and designer Bob Mechling, and former alderwoman Carole Osterink, they steered the Save the South Bay project's efforts to assist citizen participating in the LWRP process.

The Alliance will now assume the work of Save the South Bay. Beyond the Waterfront issue, the group will also establish a framework for citizen engagement throughout the region, providing the tools and support necessary for residents to participate meaningfully in community affairs. Residents interested in learning more about the Alliance are encouraged to email hudsonbay (at) mac.com, or to visit www.hudsonwaterfront.org.

CONTACT:

Peter Jung, 518.755.4350
Sam Pratt, 518.755.6624
hudsonbay (at) mac.com
www.hudsonwaterfront.org