After more than two years of meetings and making changes residents requested, developer Joel Testa said he hopes to soon break ground on the Downtown Phase II development on the west side of Hudson's North Main Street.

Whether he can do that this year, or even at all, might depend on a May 7 advisory election in which Hudson residents will be asked whether the city should continue with the project.

"There are a few people who are unhappy who are being vocal, and we're hoping that those who are happy are as equally vocal and come out," Testa said. "Because our understanding is the overwhelming part of the community understands the need for this from an economic development standpoint for the longevity of Hudson."

Testa, whose company is based in Cuyahoga Falls, said he's already learned a lot from community members and has made quite a few changes.

"It's had about a 60% reduction from what we originally envisioned in density, and it's shifted much more toward residential and away from commercial and retail," he said.

In the proposed plan, there are no longer any apartments in the project. Some residents in home ownership-oriented Hudson didn't want them, so the 144 units initially planned were pared down to 90, then 30 and then removed, according to a city informational site on the project.

The 60-room hotel Testa initially had proposed is gone, too. Planned office space was reduced, as well. Plans for about 18,000 square feet of flexible office space were removed, but the proposed project still includes more than 130,000 square feet of new office space.

Plans call for less retail as well, though exactly how much is to be determined, Testa said.

What the new plan has more of is housing. Proposed townhomes increased from 44 to about 75. The latest proposal also includes a residential neighborhood, which Testa described as a "pocket neighborhood" where 10 to 15 houses would surround a park setting.

In total, the proposed project has gone from 560,000 square feet to about 400,000 square feet. Its projected cost has decreased from $125 million-$150 million to about $80 million.

Most of that money would come from Testa and his companies, but the city would put up about $15 million, Hudson communications manager Jody Roberts said. The city already has spent money to move a bus garage, salt-storage building and other facilities to make room for the development, she added.

She and Testa both said they hope voters sign off on the reconfigured project. As an advisory election, the vote is nonbinding, but if residents vote against the project, it will send a clear signal to city council and likely kill it, Roberts said.

"There really isn't a Plan B right now. The concern is we've invested about $10 million in moving those buildings ... and that money was going to be recovered with a TIF (tax increment financing) through the project," Roberts said.

A "no" vote will put the city in a tough spot, and residents might ultimately lose control over the land, she added.

"I know that council would be looking to recoup that money, and one option would be to sell that property to a developer," Roberts said.

"If they sold the land to a developer, the developer could put in whatever they want and the city would no longer have control over what goes in there," she continued. "But by the same token, this is valuable land in the middle of downtown. To leave it vacant, owned by the city and tax-exempt doesn't make any sense."

She said she was not yet aware of how the city would be able to sell the land if that were the case, including whether it would pick a buyer based on their plans, or whether it would put the property up for bid.

She was careful to note, however, that city council has not determined if it would sell the land. If it does, any potential buyer would still face limits, but not as great as those involved in working with a city-owned property.

"We would still have zoning laws, but they could theoretically build something bigger than what we're planning, based on our current zoning," Roberts said.

She said the city needs many of the things in the current Phase II proposal, including housing for older residents and new Class A commercial office space that she said is in short supply in dowtown Hudson.

On those points, Matthew Beesley, a Hudson resident since 1991 and principal at Cushman & Wakefield/Cresco Real Estate in Independence, agrees.

There's office space in Hudson, he said, but not much new stuff, especially downtown.

"A lot depends on your definition of Class A and Class B, but for newly constructed office space on speculative basis, there's a negligible amount in Hudson," Beesley said.

Based on how 2004's Phase I of Hudson's downtown development has fared, he said there's demand for office space, but he sees the highest demand for housing.

"I have a beautiful home in Hudson, but my kids are grown. If I want to stay in Hudson, I don't have many low-maintenance options to consider now. … The townhomes provide an alternative and, again, with walkability and access to all the shops. So, I think they will do very well," Beesley said.

In talking about the project, he repeatedly cited Phase I, known as First & Main, which revamped downtown. It's a model worth following up on, he said.

"Phase I leased up beyond my expectations in terms of timing and price. It did quite well, and it has remained largely leased. And the difference between Phase I and your typical suburban projects that define the balance of the Hudson market is the walkability to shops and restaurants right outside your front door," Beesley said.

Roberts said of First & Main, "That is 100% occupied as far as the offices go."

She was unsure about retail vacancies at First & Main, but said they've been minimal, with spaces refilling quickly. She also noted the new development would not compete with existing retailers, because only about 10% of its space would be for mixed-use, and that would primarily be for service-oriented businesses.

The prices are higher downtown, Beesley noted. But downtown is likely to attract high-growth companies that are not so focused on the cost of their space and possibly more concerned about attracting young and technically trained talent, both Beesley and Roberts said.

Testa said those are the things he's considered all along, part of an overall plan to keep Hudson vibrant by attracting young talent and new companies while retaining existing residents.

If he's frustrated by more than two years and 50 meetings with city council, planning and zoning officials, and residents, he's not letting on. If he has to, he might try to buy the land, he said. But he's hoping to succeed with the current plan and possibly more revisions.

As for making changes to his projects, that's just par for the course, he said.