The two-decade struggle to permit the proposed Belleayre Resort in Highmount may finally be over as the New York State Court of Appeals on September 18 denied a motion by the Catskill Heritage Alliance (CHA) for leave to appeal its decision regarding the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s environmental review of the proposed Belleayre Resort (Motion 2018-714 In the Matter of Catskill Heritage Alliance, Inc., et al., Appellants, v. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation et al., Respondents).
The CHA has long fought against the building of the resort.
On Wednesday, September 19, CHA chair Kathy Nolan said in a statement, “We’ve just learned that the New York State Court of Appeals denied our motion for leave to appeal its decision upholding the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s environmental review of the proposed Belleayre Resort. That effectively closes our avenues for challenging the permitting of the Resort project in court…. We still think that with two hotels and a total of 629 rooms, it’s too big and poses unacceptable threats to our environment and local economy…”
Nolan, also an Ulster County Legislator, vowed that the CHA will stay active in the process. “…while this may be the end of the road for legal challenges to permitting, it’s also the beginning of a new phase of work for citizens’ groups around the Resort,” Nolan’s statement read. “Public scrutiny and input are now needed for how the project gets financed, making sure it is constructed in accordance with the promises made in the AIP, and that it is built and managed in a way that doesn’t harm our economy or environment.”
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