Put the brakes on go-carts in Millerton

A single request, made multiple times during a span of many years, now stands before the North East Town Board — to rezone the Boulevard District and allow a go-cart track to operate on Route 44, near the existing driving range. This seemingly simple plea comes loaded with many complexities, not the least of which is that it’s been made repeatedly for nearly a decade with a stubbornness apparently incapable of taking “no� for an answer, even when coming from the Town Board, the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Zoning Review Committee. Let’s add one other entity to that list — this paper — which also believes the proposal for a go-cart track in the BD-3 zone is a bad idea for the town of North East and the village of Millerton.

There are many reasons why the proposal should be given short shrift — air, light and noise pollution certainly come to mind immediately. But beyond the obvious environmental concerns in an area where many are trying to become more “green,� there are valid fears regarding what such a business would do to nearby property values. Residential properties would take a hard hit, but so too could those of retail and service businesses. Such businesses could see a decline in foot traffic as fewer people might visit the village once it goes from rural to raceway. That’s a very real possibility, because, let’s face it, a go-cart track could easily change the character of the village. It will certainly affect residents’ quality of life.

That is why 182 of those residents, including some of their neighbors from nearby towns, have signed a petition stating as much and presented it to the Town Board last week. That petition should send a very clear, and loud, message to our local leaders that a go-cart track is not in keeping with many taxpayers’ desires. So, too, should the many letters to the editor that have run in this paper in recent weeks objecting to the idea.

Local attorney and real estate developer Robert Trotta is the applicant behind the go-cart proposal and rezoning request. (His son would run the go-cart operation). Trotta has been absolutely determined to get this project approved and has returned before the Town Board repeatedly since 2001 in hopes of getting his property rezoned. While other applicants typically take the town’s rulings as final, this applicant simply doesn’t. He just lets a little time pass and then reappears for another round before the board (which usually changes membership in the passage of years). Perhaps that’s the strategy: a new board, a new ruling. But the ruling shouldn’t be based on the board’s preferences, it should be based on the wants and desires of the townspeople as well as an understanding of zoning regulations.

The Town Board cannot let Mr. Trotta’s persistence wear it down. Its initial decision so many years ago was well-founded and thoughtful. It was backed by community opinion and by research done at the time. Neither have changed.

It’s clear local residents are against having go-carts in the Boulevard District. The Town Board was elected by those residents to represent them — now is the time for them to do so. Let’s hope the board members have the courage to stand up to any pressure from the applicant, put aside their own personal feelings and vote accordingly. Let’s put the brakes on this go-cart proposal once and for all.