Town of Amenia
March 10, 2004
Silo Ridge Country Club Proposal
PRESENT: Town Board Members ZBA
Supervisor Hundt Chairman Harry Clark
Councilman Russell Norm Cayea
Councilman Devine Rudy Eschbach
Councilwoman Doyle
Planning Board Town Attorney Arabella Teal
Chairman George Fenn Town Planner Ted Fink
Tony Robustelli Wastewater Consultant Candace Balmer
Steven Benardete
Nan Seeburger
Mark Doyle
Dave Luther
Andy Durbridge
Silo Ridge
Attorney Scott Volkman (Gellhert & Quartararo)
Anthony Guiccioni
Mark Remmier (representing owner Steven Garafalo)
Rob Caeners (General Manager)
THE MEETING BEGAN AT 10 AM
Supervisor Hundt introduced Attorney Scott Volkman, representing Silo Ridge(Higher Ground Country Club). She said this would allow them to present their proposal to members of the various boards and a great way to bring out information and answer questions.
Scott Volkman
Mr. Volkman addressed the boards and said it is a vital part of the process to address all the boards because they will be involved at one time or another. He said that Silo Ridge owns 4 adjoining parcels of land that total 426 plus acres. The proposal would include the creation of a hotel with up to 300 rooms that would be done in phases and 348 residential housing units.
He added that a significant amount of the property would then be designated for open space
Mr. Volkman said that they are in negotiations with the Town in donating land for a central sewer system. He said that a hotel is not a permitted use in the zoning district. He said that a small portion of the property is in an industrial zone. He said that housing is a permitted use in the zoned area. He added that the townhouses/gardenhouses would require a special use permit but the hotel is not listed as permitted use. He said that the zoning board could consider the hotel a special use to the golf course and allow a zoning text amendment to allow this in a
March 10, 2004
Page 4
RA/Agriculture district. Mr. Volkman said that it can be considered unique due to the proximity to a State Highway, Route 22 and that it is also a recreational facility. He said that a coordinated review between the Planning and Zoning Board would be essential and the Planning Board could be named as lead agency on the short EAF. He said they are prepared to do a EIS and full site specific environmental statement. Mr. Volkman then introduced Mr. Guccioni.e
Tony Guiccioni
Mr. Guiccioni said that the proposal includes the hotel which would be centrally located and 276 townhouses and 70 duplexes as well as 2 single family residences. He said that the water district could be expanded and there will be a series of wells on the property. Mr. Guiccioni said that they have had discussions with Morris Associates and the DEC regarding the parcel that would be designated for the wetland sewage system for the Town. He said that the houses work with the topography of the land without encumbering the views. He said that the amendments to the Masterplan recognizes the importance of a hotel to the Town and the hotel use tax would generate 3-4% of revenue to the County. He added that the new amendments include the value of tourism which a hotel would bring to the Town of Amenia. He said this meeting was set up to give them (Silo Ridge Country Club) as to which direction to proceed. Mr. Guicconi said that they wish to discuss the possibility of a text amendment and the environmental review pertaining to the uniqueness of the project and how these elements can co-exist.
Ted Fink (Town Planner)
Mr. Fink said that the proposed amendment includes a schedule I -new uses and would include a thorough review of the compatibility because it should not be considered the same level as a variance. He said that from a SEQRA standpoint that they would need to review more in a general way. He said it was mentioned to segregate the proposal into phases but the project should be reviewed as a whole instead. Mr. Fink said that it would be structured that the Town Board would be lead agency and it would include an inventory of all property identified as RA in the Town. He said that the EAF was submitted in May of 2003 at that time without a zoning change and it should be considered a Type 1 action because it would affect 25 or more acres and would require a full EAF and careful analysis.
Harry Clark(Zoning Board Chairman)
Mr. Clark asked the representatives why they are circumventing the ZBA on this proposal.
Mr. Volkman responded that they are not; he said they spoke to the Supervisor and currently have their site plan before the Planning Board for review. He said they have not approached the ZBA for an interpretation because it is a bit premature. He said that they are trying to work with the Town to make the project work within the current zoning but they cannot wait for the Masterplan to be adopted.
Councilwoman Doyle
Councilwoman Doyle said that CPIC(comprehensive plan implementation committee) is working on getting the plan done and adopted within 8 months time and they are moving along at a speedy pace. She said that all zoning changes are compared to the comprehensive plan and that an analysis would need to be done to find whether it is within the goals of the Town.
March 10, 2004
Page 3
Harry Clark
Mr. Clark said that it would be important to include a view from the top of Delaverne Hill because it is a significant view shed and it is an asset that deserves to be preserved.
Tony Robustelli agreed that a visual platform would assist in the projects’ concept.
Rudy Eschbach
Mr. Eschbach stating that a zoning text amendment would be required and how does the Town treat the possibility of future applicants from hotel chains from building distances such as a quarter mile down the highway.
Mr. Guicconi responded that the Town can be very specific to state the size of the property, the proximity to a state highway, the distance requirements to limit a row of hotels. He said there are numerous recreational possibilities providing tourism both summer and winter seasons. He said the hotel would provide sizeable job opportunities including the building and maintaining the facilities. He said the project would be 3-5 years from start to finish.
Julie Denny
Ms. Denny asked how many floors the hotel would have and how much would the townhouses/garden houses be sold for.
Mr. Guicconi responded that it would have two floors and the first phase would create 50-75 rooms. He said that the townhouses/gardenhouses would be sold in the 300 thousand dollar range depending on size and amenities. He said that he did not see a large population utilizing the school district because the majority of the residents would be weekenders. Mr. Guicconi said that it would not be a timeshare and the homeowners association would be responsible for the maintenance of the roads. He said as part of the review, they would evaluate the traffic, services, pedestrian connections within 1/4 mile of the project and the center of Town.
Councilman Russell
Mr. Russell said he spoke to John Clarke from Dutchess County and he might be willing to work with the applicant(Silo Ridge Country Club) regarding the placement and concept of houses. He added that Delaverne Hill vew is critical to the Town. He said he would like to request a plan that includes landscaping and a topographical view shed analysis.
Mark Doyle
Mr. Doyle asked questioned the ownership and its liabilities regarding amenities, plowing, and maintenance. He also asked whether their would need to be a subdivision process including site plan and lot line adjustments pertaining to ownership.
Attorney Scott Volkman responded that the homeowners association would collect monthly fees for maintenance, plowing, repairs, upkeep and landscaping. He said there are no plans for tennis courts or a swimming pool but it does include a small conference and a spa type facility within the hotel.
He said they will be redesigning the parking lots to include more parking spaces.
Councilwoman Doyle
Councilwoman Doyle said that she would like Candace Balmer who is assisting in coordinating the wastewater project to comment on the proposal.
CandaceBalmer
Ms. Balmer said that they have been notified that this is as far as the DEC is willing to go without
March 10, 2004
Page 4
a commitment on the land. She said the wetlands type of sewage plant is a first of its kind and that there are only a handful that are currently operating. Ms. Balmer referred to the map and said that the green area would be serving the needs of the community and the orange area would serve the needs of Silo Ridge. She noted that they are comparable in size which would double the size of the current proposed district and could produce up to 160 thousand gallons of sewage per day.
Mark Doyle
Mark Doyle commented that the economic feasibility would be a element for consideration. He said it comes down to supply and demand. He said the Town is currently waiting for an agreement to have the property donated to proceed.
Rob Caeners (general manager from Silo Ridge) responded that the catering aspect of the business is unable to thrive because they are unable to provide accommodations. He added that the local business could benefit from guests staying in Amenia. Mr. Caeners said that they currently offer lite entertainment on Friday nights
Councilwoman Doyle commented that they need to have the property reasonably secured to proceed with the Wastewater project.
Harry Clark
Harry Clark said that the two issues should be separated; he said that the wastewater system property should be separated from the Silo Ridge proposal. Mr. Clark added that they could proceed by having the donation exchange for development rights.
Mr. Volkman said he would relay the information to his client
Councilwoman Doyle
Councilwoman Doyle said that the wastewater system proposal is not entirely new technology but it is innovative; she said the cost factor is an important issue because this type of system would be less expensive and provide environmental benefits , such as not disturbing the habitat and can be combined with a more traditional system if needed.
George Fenn
Mr. Fenn said that he felt it would not be a good idea to segment the plan because the Town Board is in charge of the zoning, the Planning Board in charge of the site plan, and the zoning board in charge of the special use permit.
Scott Volkman said that 8 months to wait until the Masterplan is completed is too long to wait.
He said the process is a lengthy one to request a zoning text amendment and perform a coordinated review.
Harry Clark
Mr. Clark said maybe it was a possibility for the Town to adopt the following approach where the Town identifies that this is consistent with the direction the Town wants to go and send it directly to the Planning Board to monitor.
George Fenn responded that the process cannot be
circumvented and it should follow due process for legislative action.
Ted Fink - Town Planner
Mr. Fink said that he was involved in a similar situation in another Town and it was determined that a zoning change could not be segmented from the whole project. He said he aware that the
March
10, 2004
Page 5
comprehensive plan is almost ready for adoption and it would be a good idea to update the comprehensive committee members of this issue and have a joint meeting to address the issue to help pave the way for the future.
Councilwoman Doyle said that it would be a Type 1 action and the Town Board would need to make a zoning text amendment as well as the masterplan to proceed with the hotel.
Councilman Devine
Mr. Devine said that the hotel was part of the original plan 12 years ago. He said that it is a legitimate proposal that should be considered for the growth and prosperity of the Town.
Dave Luther
Mr Luther said he served on the Masterplan committee in 1989 and 1990.
Mr. Luther said that the golf course was not included in the original masterplan because the sense of the Town Board and committee was that there were plenty of hotels and motels in the surrounding areas. He said there is important information had been omitted from the plan when it was filed because there was an attitude of I’ll believe it when I see it.
Harry Clark
Mr. Clark said that the Town should set a meeting with the wastewater committee members, the technicians, and the representatives from Silo Ridge to form a consensus of the next steps in the process to keep the wastewater proposal moving.
Steven Benardete
Mr. Benardete said that one issue to consider would be that there could be strong opposition to the development especially to the views from Delavergne Hill. He said to use caution when considering using the speediest process.
George Fenn
Mr. Fenn said that it reminded him of a similar application that had been brought before the Town Board a few years back. He said at that time, the Town Board decided to pass a negative declaration and the Planning Board sent positive declaration but the courts decided that was not sufficient
Town Attorney Arabella Teal
Ms. Teal said that a text amendment would need to be crfted and the Town Board would need to decide whether the projects should be tied together or whether they have the ability to separate.
Councilman Devine
Mr. Devine said that he was not in favor of separating the projects because they have been presented together.
THE MEETING ENDED AT 12:30 PM
Respectfully
Submitted,
Julia A. Bouffard
Amenia Town Clerk