When Terramor Outdoor Resorts chose a 77-acre property on Rte. 212, near Glasco Turnpike as a location for its next high-end camping site, reaching out to future neighbors in Woodstock and Saugerties seemed like a smart move.
At a March gathering at Cucina Restaurant in Woodstock, Jenny McCullough, Terramor’s director of brand and operations, shared the company’s plans. This would be a “glamping” site, with 50 luxury tents, each on a platform with its own bathroom, shower, fire pit and complimentary breakfast. Tents would sleep from two to five people. Other structures will include a lodge with employee housing, a gift shop, outfitter and a restaurant serving casual dinners.
Terramor, the luxury division of Kampgrounds of America, said it would model its Catskills resort on its successful glamping site in Bar Harbor, Maine, where tents rent for $300-$450 a night. Their slogan: “Outdoor opulence done right.”
Some of Terramor’s neighbors at the March meeting questioned why there were so many tents in the proposal. McCullough told them that 50 was the number they needed to make the business profitable.
Concerned about excessive traffic, noise and water usage, some suggested 25 tents might be the right number. But they were dismayed last month when Terramor invited neighbors to tour the site and unexpectedly told them that there was a new plan. Having learned two days earlier that the Planning Board might allow up to 75 tents, that was the number Terramor intended build.
To Richard Buck, a Woodstock resident whose home borders West Saugerties where the Terramor property is located, the larger plan is “egregious… they’ve stuck their finger in our eye.” He says this development is inimical to his neighborhood where zoning requires three and a half acre plots.
In a letter to the Saugerties Planning Board, 18 Woodstock and Saugerties residents called Terramor’s “initial presentation…somewhat disingenuous.” The group laid out their concerns. Among them: too many tents near the western property line, across from Raybrook Drive where many live. They asked the board to investigate possible noise, light and air pollution; the effect of the wells Terramor will drill on the local aquifer; water runoff; a septic plan and its effect on the already “fierce” mosquito situation; as well as plans for the period of construction.
And they requested a new traffic study, as Terramor’s study was conducted in February, rather than during the peak tourist season. They stated that additional cars on Route 212, would make the intersection of Glasco Turnpike and 212 more hazardous than it already is. (There was reportedly a three-car collision there just days ago.) But the letter admits that “the overall size of the project…is at the heart of almost all the issues.”
On Monday July 18, three representatives of Terramor met about a dozen community members at a third meeting. Director of real estate development, Ahmad Helmi said that at 50 units, the property was “challenging from the view of profitability.” After hearing they could expand the number of tents, Helmi said it was back to the drawing board. The development team factored in inflation, construction costs and the huge shifts in the market to explore “what is the minimal number of units that will make us sustainable and profitable long term?” Their conclusion: 75 tents. With that number, Helmi says, “We’re here to stay.”
As for the concern about traffic, Helmi agreed to commission a new study, most likely in August, and offered to use a company of the community’s choosing. Terramor also said they’d explore options for better visibility and a speed feedback sign but major changes — like a lower speed limit and a stop light — will be up to the Department of Transportation since 212 is a state road.
Helmi also tried to reassure contiguous neighbors that there would be no water issues as the Department of Environmental Conservation will be inspecting waste water treatment and septic discharge annually. And he announced that no tent would be built closer than 100 feet from Raybrook Drive.
Mark Pisani, who signed the letter to the Planning Board and whose website (http://southpeaknabe.com) documents developments in the glamping resort proposal, said he welcomed Terramor’s clarifications but that significant issues — traffic, noise, waste water treatment — still remain.
Saugerties planners were scheduled to hear from the Montana-based company on Tuesday, July 19. If the Board grants it a Special Use Permit, Terramor hopes to break ground next spring and to receive their first guests in spring 2024. At this early stage, it’s hard to predict if that timetable is realistic.
The planning board will hold a separate meeting to hear from the public about the resort, possibly as soon as late August.
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