New Paltz Village trustees heard a pitch to buy a bit of land adjacent to Sojourner Truth park, which was made by developers working on a hotel project adjacent to the park on Water Street. The land purchase could help address some of the concerns that have been raised by Planning Board members.
Ryan Giuliani and Jesse Halliburton are hoping to repeat the success they’ve had in creating hospitality businesses, which locally include Woodstock Way. This New Paltz hotel is destined to be dubbed “Water Street Trails,” if approved. The developers are seeking to knock down the historic box factory building that now houses businesses including a drum manufacturer and an artisan who fixes and installs mirrors and windows, and replace it with a three-story hotel of 26 rooms with a cafe. The oddly-shaped lot gets extremely narrow at one point, dating back to when there was a railroad along the river and the right-of-way for the tracks was drawn to allow for ease of access and maintenance. The railroad was converted into a rail trail before the turn of the century, and Giuliani and Halliburton assert that they will take good care of it of the 8,270 square feet they wish to purchase.
The intent would not be to expand the building footprint, trustees were told, but to have “usable outdoor space” and avoid the need for an easement for rail-trail access. The remaining track would be restored, and an interpretive sign would be provided for context. Maintenance of the trail portion nearest would be provided, and an ADA-compliant path from the hotel to the rail trail might also be considered.
While this land is not part of the adjacent Sojourner Truth Park — which would add considerable complications to authorize a sale — there is a conservation easement on it that’s held by the Wallkill Valley Land Trust. This is the same land trust that directly owns significant portions of the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail. While the sale itself may not require outside approval, any alterations would have to be reviewed ahead of time to ensure that they comply with the imposed restrictions — including the intended removal to mark a small number of “volunteer” trees for death. Mayor Tim Rogers wouldn’t be surprised if there were limits on how the sale proceeds could be spent, either.
Selling public land must be done according to a rigorous process, to ensure that taxpayers — the owners of that land — get a fair price for it. Rogers is aware that the 2.4-acre “pit” parcel by the village hall may have been sold at an unfairly low price, half a century ago, and understanding that process fully may be part of the mayor’s research in coming days. Halliburton and Giuliani acknowledged that calculations have to be made, and offered that the property they now own — 11 and 13 Water Street — cost $999,000.
Usually not known for undue haste, Rogers told the pair that trustees would “sit with this” and likely come back with questions.
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