The Saugerties Town Board voted to accept the scoping document for the proposed development of the 840-acre Winston Farm property at its reorganization meeting on Wednesday, January 4. The document is an outline of what studies need to be done to determine what steps are needed to guide towns in the approval process and develop zoning for a new, major project.
The acceptance allows the developers to go ahead with required environmental, traffic, water and other studies needed for developing zoning changes the plan requires. It is the first step in a long process, much of which will be accomplished by the Planning Board.
“We went through a series of public hearings to get the community’s concerns about this project,” Supervisor Fred Costello said. “We held those hearings open for an extended period, and a draft document has been prepared that has undergone extensive scrutiny by the town attorney and the town planners. This marks the next phase in the development, leading to the board considering a zoning adjustment that reflects what we learn from the scoping document.”
Following the meeting, Costello explained that the scoping document “creates a template for the studies we will need to make. It is a step along the way.”
Deputy Supervisor Leeanne Thornton said the scoping document is available on the Winston Farm website. “It’s probably 50 pages. It incorporates many of the recommendations that were made by the Conservation Advisory Committee and the public in general. It’s well organized with much more detail than the original draft and I think people can feel comfortable if they take a look at the document that the environmental and historic and preservation concerns, anything that came up during public comments, have been addressed in this document.” She acknowledged the large amount of work that the developers, planners and Town Board will have to do as it develops. The project won’t be started overnight, she said, adding it must go through a planning process, a review that will take many months. “To go through the steps of planning and environmental review and the SEQR [State Environmental Quality review] process is very time consuming, and I think for the sake of the community everyone should have patience and keep an open mind and let the experts who do research and who have to do the studies to comply with all aspects of this project; let’s see what they come up with.”
The developers will now be responsible for collecting data on water, habitat, open space and all the other considerations that were raised at the public hearing and other sources, Costello said.
The project is proposed by three local contractors and developers, Randy Richers, John Mullen and Tony Montano. Their initial plan, included housing at various price levels, cabins, a boutique hotel, cabins, a commercial area a water park and an amphitheater. Questions around the availability of water on the site, as well as traffic concerns, may result in the project being scaled back.
In a press release, the Winston Farm developers stated “The Saugerties Town Board Wednesday night, approved a list of numerous required studies and reviews to help determine the development potential of Winston Farm, a transformative proposal adjacent to the New York State Thruway’s Exit 20.”
The property falls within several zoning districts, including general business, moderate density residential and hamlet residential. The property is also in the Aquifer Protection Overlay District, the Gateway Overlay District and the Sensitive Area Overlay District, all of which impose design restrictions. The scoping document is intended to guide the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Town Board in developing the overall zoning for the project site.
The scoping document notes that all the internal roads are gravel. Access is primarily via Augusta Savage Road, off Route 32, and Buffalo Road.
In addition to setting out the areas that must be studied, the document requires an analysis of the effects of not developing the property.
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