Noah Eckstein is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media that the Hudson Zoning Board of Appeals has approved plans to convert the former Terry-Gillette Mansion on Union Street into a 30-room boutique hotel, cafe, and lounge. In March, five members of the ZBA voted unanimously to grant a zoning use variance to Montecito Venture Partners, an investment group focused on real estate development and hospitality. The area of Hudson where the building is located is considered a residential area, but because the hotel has its own on-site parking and received minimal complaints from neighbors, the ZBA approved the variance. The mansion building was constructed between 1850 and 1865, and it sold in the last century to the Hudson Elks Lodge around 1935. “I think all in all this is good for Hudson,” Zoning Board of Appeals Chair Lisa Kenneally said. “Tourists have no place to stay on the weekends. The company is very community-friendly, they were open to hearing ideas and didn’t want to change Hudson.” California-based Montecito Venture Partners owns Casa Cody, the oldest operating hotel in Palm Springs, California, Silver Lake Church in Los Angeles, California, and Hotel Willa in Taos, New Mexico. "601 Union should make a fine hotel with ample parking already on site and only one residential neighbor,” Common Council President Thomas DePietro said. Note: DePietro is an active WGXC on-air volunteer. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.