RED HOOK – The town is moving closer to an eminent domain proceeding to acquire the Red Hook Boat Club property on the Hudson River. In July 2025, the Red Hook Town Board voted 3-2 to proceed with an eminent domain action to take the property where the boat club has been located for decades. The boat club appealed the decision in the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division, claiming the town did not properly conduct a SEQRA review. In late October, the court dismissed the appeal, allowing the town to move forward.
Town Supervisor Robert McKeon defended his vote last July to take the property. “This is not taking someone’s home. This is not displacing families. This is about taking a private park and making it a public one.” The supervisor said the move is aligned with the town’s decades-old planning documents calling for waterfront access. “It’s been 57 years.”
On Monday, McKeon provided Mid-Hudson News with an overview of the town’s next steps. “As we said in the proceedings (appeal), we intend to acquire the property and desire to work with the boat club to keep them there so that they enjoy the activities that they’ve been enjoying over the decades.” McKeon stressed that no major re-designs are planned.
“Next step,” McKeon said, “is we finalize our appraisal and then we make an offer to the boat club. Over the course of the next few weeks, I hope that we can come to some arrangement that works for them as well as the town.”
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