On Tuesday, March 16th, at the new library on South Main Street there will be a combined meeting of the Town Board and Planning Board to discuss the Durst Corporation's application for their project, which has been revised slightly under the New Neighborhood Development (NND) section of the new Zoning Law. The meeting will start at 7PM with a discussion between the boards and the town's consultants. The Durst team with begin their presentation at 8PM. This meeting is a nonbinding preliminary discussion of the project and will contain an overview of the plan as well as a discussion about whether it meets all the criteria the town established for an NND in the zoning law.
The pre application and maps of the proposed plan, which includes 624 units in Pine Plains and Milan, can be viewed on the town website by following this link:
http://pineplains-ny.gov/content/Generic/View/8.
As you know, though we fought its inclusion the Town Board went ahead and passed a zoning ordinance that contained an NND provision, under which Durst would be allowed to build at a higher density than would normally be permitted. Their argument was that the NND would give the town the necessary leverage to get more concessions from the developer--funds for increased services, perhaps a new town hall and community center, a facade improvement fund for the center of town, more trails and recreation areas for hikers and any number of other possibilities. You may recall it was our contention that the new zoning was sufficiently flexible and generous without adding the NND, but our view--and yours--obviously didn't carry the day. This is the hand we've been dealt though and our goal now is to see that the town gets everything it's entitled to from the developer. That may include funds for the above mentioned projects, which we wholeheartedly support, but it could also include an agreement to reduce the maximum number of homes they're allotted (624 is still way too many as far as we're concerned).
And so our organization has now entered what you might call "the post zoning phase," a very important chapter that will help determine the look and feel of our area for the next decade and beyond. Whether our new role will include once again hiring (and raising the funds for) various experts--some of who might be called upon to help the town determine the monetary values of any concessions they're considering--remains to be seen. What's important now is that we pay very close attention to the process. And to send the message to Durst, and our boards, that we are doing just that.
That's why we're asking those of you who can to do your best to attend the meeting on the 16th (and the related meetings that will surely follow). There will be no public comment period at this meeting but you can bet those running it and participating in it will be taking note of just how full (or empty) the seats are.
Thanks. We hope to see you there.
The Steering Committee
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