Compliments outweigh criticisms at Silo Ridge DEIS hearing

AMENIA — More than 100 people attended the final scheduled hearing for the Silo Ridge County Club’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on its proposed expansion, which was held at the country club Wednesday, March 5.

While residents at the first hearing in November mostly criticized the project, speakers at Wednesday’s meeting mostly gave the country club’s plans praise.

The majority of the speakers talked about the potential economic boom the town might experience if the plan is approved, but some residents were concerned about the possible impact to the DeLaVergne Hill view shed, where several buildings, including a winery, might be built.

The evening started off with Wassaic resident Tim Osborne, who said the project, if completed, would give Amenia a much needed boost in its economy.

"The five-year comprehensive plan is for naught without something bringing people downtown," Osborne said. "Amenia has shown nothing but contempt for businesses. Homeowners are being burdened with school and property taxes. This project will lift the burden from those who need it."

Tom Werner said that a majority of residents are not against the project, but are concerned about the project’s magnitude and possible impact on the DeLaVergne Hill viewshed.

"Residents are entitled to a full view of this project as well as a vector view, commonly known as a CAD or 3D, from Route 44 north and south so they can view it in depth," Werner said. "A project of this size also must have a sufficient bond that ensures the construction of all infrastructure and cannot be released until the project is totally completed."

Romia Kimball said she was also worried about the magnitude of the project.

"The size of it overwhelms me," Kimball said. "I think we need to have some financial information from this group because Amenia is going to go into business with this company, in a way. Have we done a study on how [new residents] affect the town’s current infrastructures?"

Former town Councilman Bill Carroll said he supported the project, but criticized the potential viewshed impact.

"For what they call the horseshoe turn [on the hill], I am against anything being built there," Carroll said. "That view should be saved forever if it can be. As far as the housing goes, I would like to see scaling it back a little. But I think if this town ever gets a sewer, we need Silo Ridge."

Tonia Shoumatoff, Housatonic Valley Association Watershed manager, said she is concerned with the wastewater aspect of the DEIS.

"I do think that pumping waste uphill is asking for trouble and possible clogs. The location of the plant should be reconsidered," Shoumatoff said. "Under the list of impacts the applicant listed as inevitable was 115 acres of impervious services on steep slopes. That should be reconsidered by the town and planning boards. The state-of-the-art practices for low-impact development practices is to use pervious surfaces that absorb the runoff."

Webutuck Board of Education member and Amenia resident Joe Herald addressed the potential impact of the project to the school district.

"I think Silo Ridge is presenting an opportunity for kids and for families to grow in a very smart way," Herald said. "As a board member, I can tell you that we can absorb more students into the district without raising taxes. We would be able to take care of them and provide them a sound education. Five million dollars of taxes back into the community would help offset the property tax burdens of residents."

Steven Bernadete said he looked at the project with skepticism over its financial promises.

"We’re all in favor of jobs being created and improving the tax base, but we don’t know if that’s what we’re going to get," Bernadete said. "My intuition is that the project does not make any economic sense. The golf season in the Northeast is fairly short; it’s hard to imagine [the project] working. If you take a look at how many units that are being proposed and estimated price of those units, you are talking about a market value of $1.2 billion dollars of residential real estate alone. We can do analysis, but we can’t afford to be wrong and end up having a burden."

Meanwhile, town Supervisor Wayne Euvrard, who did not speak at the previous meeting in November and has not spoken publicly about the project at Town Board meetings, finally broke his silence to support the project.

"Years ago, downtown Amenia was a vibrant business area," Euvrard said. "We had department stores, grocery stores, car dealerships and restaurants. We were very busy, but we lost of that. If you look at the comprehensive plan and the master plan, it says that we need a sewer. If we didn’t have Silo Ridge building a plant, the cost would be exorbitant. This could save residents over $2 million dollars."

Liz Faulkner, who said that she was not against developments, said she was concerned with protecting the natural beauty of the town, including DeLaVergne Hill.

"This place is so special, it’s like a jewel in the crown and it’s important to recognize how incredibly beautiful this place is," Faulkner said. "The idea of construction on DeLaVergne Hill is like putting a top hat on the Statue of Liberty. That view is more than a hill or a piece of land, it’s an icon."

Cheryl Morse said she is concerned that new construction at the golf course might disturb pre-existing toxic chemical pesticide residue existing in its soils.

"Given the movement of pesticides through the water and different kinds of soils, I think there needs to be consideration about disturbing those soils," Morse said. "Those chemical pesticides that were applied in the past to the lawn could be toxic to children and pets. These are things that we really need to think about."

At the end of the meeting, the board declared the hearing closed. The public will now have until Tuesday, March 25, to submit written comments.

The proposed development would add 328 townhouse units, 41 single-family homes, one resort hotel with a total of up to 320 rooms, banquet space, two restaurants, conference space and a spa to the resort. A winery and a wastewater treatment plant are also part of the country club’s expansion plans.

The DEIS is available for public review at Amenia Town Hall and the Amenia Free Library. It is also available for download on the town’s Web site, www.amenia.gov.

To send comments to the Planning Board about the Silo Ridge DEIS, write to Amenia Planning Board, PO Box 126, 36B Mechanic St., Amenia, NY 12501.