The Town of Ulster’s planning board, at the developers’ urging, has declared its intent to serve as lead agency in the state-required environmental review of a 30-lot housing subdivision. The Woodstock Land Conservancy (WLC) contends Woodstock should serve that role.
With one dissenting vote, Ulster’s planning board made its declaration as part of a last-minute agenda item at its May 13 meeting.
Attorney Victoria Polidoro, representing WLC, strongly urged Woodstock to serve as lead agency for the review required by the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). The subdivision cannot be developed without access by an extension of Eastwoods Drive in the Town of Woodstock.
She had argued that Woodstock was best situated to serve as lead agency in the review of the Zena project because most of its anticipated impacts such as traffic would primarily occur in Woodstock, Woodstock’s planning board has approval authority over the road extension providing sole access to the project and has significant experience conducting SEQRA reviews. Polidoro further noted that the strain on emergency services would fall on Woodstock, while the town will receive no property-tax revenue.
Woodstock has hired Hudsonia, a nonprofit institute dedicated to protecting the natural heritage of the region. It has also hired its own traffic engineer.
These actions, combined with more stringent land-use and wetlands restrictions, Polidoro argued, made Woodstock better suited to take the lead in this review.
WLC has long argued that the subdivision would not be allowed had it been proposed in Woodstock.
The developers’ attorney, Alec Gladd, argues the Town of Ulster planning board is the proper lead agency since the development will be within the Town of Ulster. In his response, Gladd wrote that Woodstock’s in-depth analysis through its own consultants will proceed regardless of who is lead agency.
“Upgrading and extending Eastwoods Drive is the only proposed construction in Woodstock. A majority of the project will therefore be reviewed by Ulster and Ulster is the proper lead agency,” he wrote. “To claim that Woodstock is better suited to conduct a SEQRA review is not grounded in reality.”
Developers Evan Kleinberg and Eddie Greenberg propose 30 housing lots on 106 acres in the Town of Ulster. The majority will be single-family homes, A broader vision for the property, which includes 500-plus acres in Woodstock, included luxury townhomes, an 18-hole championship golf course and a helipad. Those plans were scrapped after public backlash.
In the event two entities declare intent to be lead agency, the state DEC will decide.
Library vs. planning board
This isn’t the first time in recent Woodstock history dueling governmental entities have vied for lead-agency status. In 2020, both the Woodstock Public Library District and Woodstock’s planning board announced their intentions to be lead agency in the review of a proposed 12,000-square-foot building to replace the library at 5 Library Lane. The planning board ultimately dropped its challenge to the library’s lead-agency status.
The library scrapped those plans three years later in favor of purchasing and remodeling the former Miller/Howard Investments building on Dixon Avenue. Bearsville Center owner Lizzie Vann purchased the current 5 Library Lane building and is leasing it back to the library until 10 Dixon Avenue is completed.
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