More press in the Daily Freeman, Kingston NY:
In case the article is behind a paywall, here is the text in full:
Woodstock considers involvement in Terramor glamping project in SaugertiesBy William J. Kemble | news@freemanonline.com | WOODSTOCK, N.Y. – Town Board members are contemplating whether to request “interested party” status in the Terramor Catskills/KOA application in Saugerties for a 75-site glamping campground along the town line with Woodstock. Councilman Bennett Ratcliff said during a meeting last week that the project would impact wetlands that cover both sides of the municipal line. “The town should join the (state environmental quality review) process as the Woodstock Environmental Commission has recommended,” he said. “The town of Woodstock will have wetlands that will be destroyed.” The project is proposed to cover 77.15 acres off of state Route 212. Among the features of the project would be a 4,000-square-foot restaurant and events center, a 28-person staff dormitory, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a community fire pit, a wellness center, a maintenance building and a dog park. State Department of Environmental Conservation guidelines say that an “involved agency” has “jurisdiction by law to fund, approve or directly undertake an action” while an “interested agency.” Supervisor Bill McKenna noted that the town is already listed as an “interested agency” and there could be further discussions with officials in Saugerties to emphasize the importance of protecting property in Woodstock. “One of the things that I think we should really stress to the Saugerties Planning Board is even though they have their own law, they are right on our border and our zoning requirements and setbacks are quite different,” he said. “I feel quite strongly … that they should respect our law as well (and) really take it into consideration, particularly along that boundary line.” Opponents of the project have formed the group Citizens Against Terramor and voiced concern that the Saugerties Planning Board has not taken Woodstock’s concerns seriously. Among the issues of concern for the group is a statement in the board’s July minutes that there is “too insignificant of a change in traffic impact” to require any change in the plan. Officials wrote that “on average the proposed use would generate 17 (morning) trips and 22 (afternoon/evening) trips,” adding that there is a 100-trip threshold for requiring a traffic study. Councilwoman Laura Ricci expressed confidence that the Saugerties board could incorporate Woodstock’s concerns into the application review process. “I believe that they’ve been very thorough,” she said. “They had one page with three columns of all the interested agencies … and they’re not trying to skirt any processes. They are trying to cast a wide net with people that would like to be interested or involved agencies.” — article ends — |
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