The proliferation of bed-and-breakfast establishments in the central area of the Village of Saugerties has become a flashpoint for public opposition, with residents opposed to the accommodations citing a shortage of rental housing, a constantly changing group of strangers in what has been a friendly community and in some cases, inconsiderate guests in the establishments playing loud music or other disturbance late at night.
Peter Lawrence said that a recent Planning Board meeting drew as many as 100 people, almost all of whom opposed proposals to turn two residences into hotel accommodations. This and other changes in the residential zones in the village are changing the village’s character for the worse, he said.
Bed-and-breakfast establishments need only register with the village and the county to operate; there are no special fees required. However, proposed hotel accommodations in some buildings have drawn crowds to village Planning Board meetings.
One problem with village zoning regulations is an inconsistency, with some residential zoning allowing local businesses such as hotels, laundromats or parking lots in these districts with a special use permit.
However, what drew the unusual attendance at the Planning Board meetings were two proposals by Tom Struzzieri, the former CEO of HITS (Horseshows in the Sun) and developer of the Diamond Mills complex, including the Diamond Mills Hotel. Lawrence said that he doesn’t see a difference between a bed-and-breakfast rental and the proposed hotel. Both offer short-term rentals in what are residential buildings, generally single-family or two-family houses.
Mayor Bill Murphy explained that the definitions are built into state law, and the village can’t change them. Struzzieri chose to develop his properties under the hotel regulations, which are stricter than bed-and-breakfast requirements.
Speakers at the Planning Board meeting cited a shortage of rental housing in the village, at least partly due to the conversion of houses to B&Bs, Lawrence said. “Part of the reason we’re getting these Airbnbs post-Covid is that during the epidemic, people were out of work, but couldn’t be evicted if they didn’t pay rent. Landlords lost a lot of money during those two years, and they’re looking for a way to make that money back,” Murphy said.
Trustee Donald Hackett said that a year ago, a committee of residents met and “the discussions went on for at least six months, and we adjusted the law.” Airbnbs are regulated by Ulster County, he said.
The registration is the first step, according to Murphy, “so we have an idea of what we have.” At this point, the village is simply getting a line on how many bed-and-breakfast operations there are.
One of the concerns that was expressed at the meeting was that there is a shortage of rental housing in the village, Lawrence said. Board members said that they are aware of the problem, but solutions are hard to come by.
“Let’s face it: The village is landlocked,” Murphy said. “You see a lot of development in the town, Route 32 in Glasco. There is housing going up, but there’s no open space in the village. You can’t build a 50-unit apartment complex in the village; the land is not there. But fortunately, the town is building a lot.”
“When you look at housing, you have to look at a lot of issues,” trustee Donald Hackett said. “There’s water issues, wastewater issues…”
Trustee Andrew Zink said that Lawrence lives in an area that’s zoned R3, which allows accessory uses such as a laundromat or a bowling alley. He suggested that Lawrence talk to his neighbors or submit a petition for a zoning change, extending the zone to R2 into that part of the village. Several close-by areas are zoned R2, so the change should not be that difficult if the residents say they want it, he said. Trustee Terry Parisian suggested that Lawrence could take the matter to the Zoning Board of Appeals, which could change the zoning if it agreed that R2 would better suit the specific conditions of the neighborhood than the current R3 zoning.
Given the confusion some residents have shown about the planning and approval process and Planning Board terminology, the board plans to produce informational materials including definitions and the specifics of what the board’s actions and responsibilities are, Zink said. “They said they will draft it, work on it, and when it’s done, they’ll send it to us for approval.” Once the Town Board approves it, the document will be available to the public.
Village of Saugerties to control speed on dangerous shortcut
Route 9W takes a sharp turn in front of the former Knights of Columbus building — now Ryan House — and motorists speed down Burt Street into Mill Street where she lives, Erica Minglis said at a Saugerties Village Board meeting on Monday, July 17. At the intersection of 9W and Burt, 9W makes a full left turn, while Burt Street is a straight line into Mill Street, a quiet residential street that ends across from the Mill, senior citizen housing on Bridge Street.
Her neighbor, Marcella Santini, lives on Mill Street, near a large boulder that the village had placed there, Minglis said. She believed that it was placed at the request of a previous owner of the house to prevent cars from running into his property. Several vehicles have hit the boulder, she added.
“My suggestion is to lower the speed limit from the top of the hill [Route 9W and Burt Street], which wouldn’t hurt.” In response to a question from mayor Bill Murphy, she said that the limit is 30 miles per hour. Murphy said that the limit could be reduced to 25 miles per hour: the lowest New York State allows villages to reduce speeds.
The village also has several signs that indicate the speed of an approaching car, so drivers can see when they are speeding, and it may be possible to deploy one of those signs at the intersection. Other possibilities include possibly parking a police car within view of Mill Street: a sight that generally causes drivers to slow down.
Trustee Terry Parisian said that the Village Board has voted earlier to set a speed limit of 25 miles per hour throughout the village. Murphy agreed, but said that the cost of changing signage meant that the entire village was not changed at the same time. However, the signs will be changed at Mill Street, he said.
As for the boulder, Murphy asked whether Santini wants it removed. She said no, but noted that it had been hit three times in the last four months. “Actually, I would prefer a bigger boulder,” she said.
Murphy suggested possibly painting a yellow line to mark lanes on the narrow road and putting in a speed bump for the summer. The speed bump would have to be removed in the winter because it would interfere with plowing, but it could reduce the speeds during the spring and summer.
The speed reduction would be immediate, with a speed indicator sign placed there temporarily. Other measures would follow after further study.
Saugerties kids enjoy outdoor storytime
A story-and-activities event for children at the pollination garden on Montross and Partition Street drew about 20 children, Saugerties Village Board trustee Donald Hackett reported at the board’s regular meeting on Monday, July 17. The activity was led by Tree Commission chair Rosemarie Brackett, Hackett said.
Reached after the meeting, Brackett said that the outing was a lot of fun for the kids, who were from a local daycare center. (She declined to give the name because she was not sure that the director wanted it made public.) “There were 12 kids, and we read stories, coloring, and we had hoped to release butterflies, but they were not ready.”
The activity was in part an experiment to see how many people could comfortably participate in activities in the park, Brackett said. “I would hope we can have more activities.”
Semi-retired Saugerties cop sustains graffiti cleanup mission
Graffiti may never stop being part of the landscape, but they can be removed, even if new graffiti will sprout as some are removed. Police sergeant José Castagnola has been cleaning up graffiti around Saugerties, mayor Bill Murphy reported at the Village Board meeting on Monday, July 17. “He’s semi-retired, but he’s still working, and one of his missions is to clean up all the graffiti in the village,” Murphy said. “He’s working very hard.” Castagnola is going around the village and painting out graffiti, he said.
A woman in the audience said that Castagnola had offered to clean the graffiti off the wall of a building, and the owner had asked what it would cost. Castagnola had responded that it would cost nothing, because the village had the kit for cleaning it, and he did not charge for his labor. Trustees agreed that he had put a dent in the graffiti around the village.
Trustee Terry Parisian asked whether the police were taking pictures of the graffiti, classifying it and tracking down the painters. “Once you start tagging people, and you’re consistent, it will put a dent in it.”
Murphy noted that rashes of graffiti go in phases. Parisian agreed, saying, “We had nothing for a while.” Trustee Donald Hackett recalled that at one time stop signs were being tagged with slogans like “Stop the War.”
Police chief Joseph Sinagra said that Castagnola cleaned up graffiti when he was full-time; he’s now retired and working part-time. He also kept good records and could often identify the graffiti artists, Sinagra said. He continues to work toward keeping Saugerties as free of graffiti as possible, according to the chief.
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