There’s the appearance of a lot of activity on the development front in the Village of New Paltz these days. But that might partially be an illusion. Because most projects need to weave their way through various regulatory requirements, relatively minor community changes remain under consideration a long time. Very recently, some of the projects under discussion included – but were not limited to — a small subdivision needed at the new Stewart’s, a new building at 85 North Chestnut Street, site tinkering at Zero Place, a couple of homes on Millbrook Road, and finally a tree to be planted in memory of Sally Rhoads.
Subdivision for Stewart’s
The Village of New Paltz Planning Board has begun to review an application to divide the lot that the new Stewart’s on North Chestnut Street is being built on to allow the historic home on the site to be conveyed to the village and ultimately sold to someone willing and able to restore it.
The house at 5 Broadhead Avenue is one of the few built by Jacob Wynkoop that remain standing and has been deemed worthy of preservation because Wynkoop built many homes that were part of a community of black people who lived in New Paltz for several decades after the Civil War. The plan is to sell the house to the village for a nominal amount, after which village trustees will issue a request for proposals to seek a developer who can shore it up and use it while maintaining its character. That second part — reselling to a private party — had not been widely known.
Board attorney Rick Golden said that the subdivision itself was relatively simple, but that the lot created would require variances because of its small size. Golden recommended an uncoordinated review, meaning that the environmental impacts would be separately studied at meetings of the planning board and zoning board of appeals.
Some changes may also be coming to the plans for the corner of the Stewart’s site at the intersection of Henry W. DuBois Drive and North Chestnut Street in order to anticipate the planned Empire State Trail improvements. According to company representative Chuck Marshall, what was initially expected to be a sidewalk may end up being an asphalt multi-use path. Marshall said that the intent was to work with state and local officials to arrive at a design that satisfied community needs.
Next NBR building
How the Empire State Trail users will get across North Chestnut Street in New Paltz and onto the rail-trail is still a bit fuzzy, but Radi Serdah’s plan for a new building at 85 North Chestnut Street may allow a direct connection across that property. Serdah, some of whose past proposals have been rejected for non-compliance with the various rules of the neighborhood-business-residential zone, is now proposing a three-story building that would check off the key boxes: businesses on the ground floor and residences above, with the structure near the corner and parking largely around the back.
The first floor would have 3300 square feet of retail space facing North Chestnut, with three apartments on the back side — one accessible for those with disabilities. The structure would be pulled far enough back from the road to allow for a handful of parking spots to be put in front of the building.
Designed to look something like row houses, the building would have three roof peaks on the front side and two on the rear. The several sections would be painted different colors — red, green and yellow were depicted during the presentation — drawn from existing structures in the village. Architect Kim Hoover said that the structure was intended as a “transitional” building from Zero Place directly to the north and the traditional homes which largely line the street southward into the heart of the village.
To preserve that aesthetic while maximizing profitability, a height variance will be sought to allow those peaks to crest a few feet higher than allowed in the zone. That height requirement was a source of controversy when neighbors who had largely been silent during the approval of NBR zoning realized how high four stories was, and village trustees were pressured to lower the maximum. The benefits of taller buildings in the village core include a lower cost of infrastructure and increased ability to preserve open space, and trustees reduced the height by a three-to-two vote in December 2018.
After these plans were submitted, state transportation officials asked that the parking area have a one-way traffic pattern, with drivers entering from North Chestnut and exiting onto Mulberry. Engineer Andy Willingham said that this would allow more space in the front to accommodate landscaping and a seven-foot sidewalk.
The review process will include updating traffic studies done for Stewart’s and Zero Place.
Retaining wall for Zero Place
David Shepler, developer of the net-zero-energy Zero Place building on North Chestnut Street, is looking to tweak the site plan to minimize erosion. He told the village planning board November 17 meeting that the slope between the property and the Wallkill Valley rai-trail would benefit from a retaining wall.
The intent has always been that this project would “engage” with the rail-trail with easy access to the site, and he said the wall was not intended to disrupt that. According to Shepler, the wall would be completely buried at the access point and not require steps. That’s important in part because of the bathrooms inside the building, for which public access has been promised. Board members agreed to allow building inspector Cory Wirthmann make the call on the best way to ensure that access is preserved.
Other than the landscaping and site work, Zero Place is just about ready for prime time. Shepler wants to show it off by taking the planning board members by taking them on tours there that keep pandemic control measures in place.
Millbrook homes receiving scrutiny
Two homes to be built at the northerly end of Millbrook Road are getting interest from Village Planning Board concerned with their proximity to the Mill Brook Preserve. Developer Floyd Kniffen successfully lobbied to get this land included in the village, got a subdivision approved in 2013, and now has buyers lined up for the proposed homes.
Board member Zach Bialecki thinks that it’s important for the preserve to be shown clearly on the plans, and asked Kniffen about the site clearing that seems already to have taken place. The developer explained that a gravel driveway has existed since the subdivision was approved, and added that the recent culling of trees was necessary in order for the drilling of wells.
Bialecki, who seemed skeptical that the amount of clearing was all necessary simply to drill a couple of wells, would like to see what will remain forested once these homes are built. He laid out a number of other details missing from the current plans, such as the height of buildings.
New board member Rachel Lagodka argued to have these designated as Type 1 under state environmental review laws, due to the proximity to the preserve and wetlands, as well as the presence of steep slopes. Board attorney Rick Golden said that those concerns do not rise to the level of a Type 1 designation because, “if it fits under Type 2, it has to be Type 2.” Environmental policy board member Don Kerr asked for that group to be named as an interested agency, ensuring that they receive the updates to the applications. Kerr noted that these lots are adjacent to the Mill Brook, which is the largest contributor of feces to the environmentally compromised Wallkill River, and that these homes would have septic systems. Environmental policy board members will want to look at any project that could make that problem worse, and Kerr requested a site visit.
Planning board chair John Litton was agreeable to someone arranging a site visit, but that person will not be Litton. That visit is not going to delay the scheduling of the required public hearing. Board members agreed to schedule the hearing for December 1, perhaps mollified by the chair’s reminder that hearings were not necessarily closed the same day that they were opened.
A tree for Sally Rhoads
A tree will be planted somewhere on Plattekill Avenue in New Paltz and dedicated to the late Sally Rhoads. According to trustee Michele Zipp, members of the shade tree commission have scheduled a dedication ceremony for May 22 at 2 p.m. Zipp did not offer the precise location of or additional details about the tree, except that it will be planted across the street from Rhoads’ former home.
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