Hudson/Catskill Housing Coalition Responds to Galvan Foundation’s Real Estate Transfer to Bard College
Hudson, NY (July 8, 2025) — The Hudson/Catskill Housing Coalition was shocked by the recent announcement that Bard College will assume ownership of Galvan Foundation’s extensive real estate portfolio across Hudson and Columbia County. While we remain hopeful that this transfer could support public programs and deepen community engagement, we are calling for an immediate pause on the transaction until transparent, public conversations take place.
Bard has played a visible role in Hudson for years, including through its Bard Early College initiative. But we must be clear: when large institutions acquire significant land in small communities, the risks of displacement, gentrification, and community erasure grow exponentially, especially for Black, Brown, and low-income residents who have long called this region home.
This real estate transfer is the largest of its kind in our area’s recent history. It cannot move forward behind closed doors.
We call on Bard College and Galvan Foundation to:
Host public, community-led sessions before any agreements are finalized
Honor all existing leases and housing arrangements, with no disruptions or rent increases
Negotiate a binding Community Benefits Agreement to protect affordable housing, support local businesses, and uphold community self-determination
Ensure ongoing community oversight, with local stakeholders at the table in a meaningful way
As required by law, this transfer will also need to be reviewed and approved by the New York State Attorney General.
We also urge residents, civic leaders, and press outlets to join us in holding institutions accountable and demanding a process rooted in equity, not just prestige.
For decades, similar university-led real estate deals have reshaped neighborhoods under the banner of revitalization. These transactions often leave longtime residents behind:
Columbia University (Harlem, NY): Columbia’s Manhattanville campus expansion displaced longtime residents, accelerated gentrification, and sparked years of protest over broken promises to the surrounding community
Harvard University (Allston, MA): Harvard’s expansion brought luxury development and rising costs, forcing the university to create modest affordable housing programs only after local outcry
University of Pennsylvania and Drexel (Philadelphia, PA): These institutions demolished the Black Bottom neighborhood, displacing thousands of Black families for research buildings and student housing
We refuse to let Hudson become the next cautionary tale.
Galvan Foundation’s narrative of benevolence does not match the lived experiences of tenants who have struggled under a corporate landlord model that prioritized control over care. As both a community organization and a current tenant of Galvan, Hudson/Catskill Housing Coalition understands firsthand what is at stake. Bard College now inherits not just properties, but a complex legacy. If this gift is truly meant to serve the public good, then the public must be actively involved from the start.
We are watching. We are organizing. And we will not be silent.
Contact: Quintin Cross, Senior Policy Advisor, Hudson/Catskill Housing Coalition, grants@hudsoncatskillhousing.org, (845) 544-6804.
References
Amsterdam News. Locals push back against Columbia University land grab in Harlem. June 2024. amsterdamnews.com
The Harvard Crimson. Harvard’s Allston expansion: development or displacement? February 2025. thecrimson.com
UPenn. West Philadelphia Collaborative History. The University City Science Center and the Black Bottom. Accessed July 2025. collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu
New York State Office of the Attorney General. Oversight of nonprofit-to-institutional property transfers. Accessed July 2025. ag.ny.gov
