SAVE THE RIDGE !
Action
Alert for Gardiner Residents
Action Needed:
(Some
statement about the proposed development. Not more than 3 sentences)
The
Shawangunk Ridge is being threatened by a proposed 2,600-acre luxury
development on the slopes and ridgetop. 80% of the land is in the Town of
Gardiner. The proposal includes a “gated community” of 350 houses, an 18-hole
championship golf course, pool, lodge, fitness center and more – all for
exclusive residents only, on private roads, in the area from Gertrude’s Nose to
Mud Pond. Over 260 acres of forest would be destroyed adjacent to Minneswaska
State Park. This proposed development would threaten water supplies, wildlife
habitat, the rural economic infrastructure, and the unique viewshed that we
value so much. Unless we all act now – the future we want for our great Shawangunk
Ridge could be gone forever.
-The risk (something like
the last hemlock
forest south of the catskills, changing the quality of land, water, tourist
recources for a tr-county region, something generl and provocative!)
-
- %80 percent of
the land is in GArdiner
-The strategy- moratorium, some designation in
the Masterplan….
-
Action Needed: What YouGardiner Residents
Can Do Top Help Save
The Ridge: In Gardiner Residents:
ü Write or phone calltelephone
your
Town and Planning Board officials (names
and contact
information on backsee below)
ü Attend Town Board Meetings
and Planning Board Meetings (dates on back)
The Message: When you write or call, tell them your name and that you are a resident and/or taxpayer of Gardiner, and that:
1. 1.
Gardiner should enact a moratorium on development (over two
lots) until the new Comprehensive Masterplan
and zoning requirements are re-written.the review and revision of the Master Plan is
complete and the zoning law is revised to ensure
its
implementation of the Plan..
2. Gardiner should hire anhire an independent outside planner to
facilitate the Master Plan/Zoning review process.
3. The
Master Plan review process must provide for frequent and regular
public review periods throughout the process in addition to open meetings.
4.
4. The Town Board, and the Town’s planning and Zoning boards have a responsibility to protect and serve the public interests.
5. The Town Boards should take
every measure to protect the Ridge and it’s contiguous
slopes and hillsides. These lands,
currently unprotected, should be given special status as a Critical
Environmental Area, and be given complete protection from residential,
commercial or industrial development. The new Comprehensive Master Plan and zoning
requirements need to enforce this
Tips: You can say something about
yourself and why you care. Understand that town officials are just people like
you, and they have concerns also. You do not have to engage in conversation if
you don’t want to, as long as you get your message across. When writing a
letter, you can send a copy of the same letter to each town official (see back
for who and where to send it).
The
Moratorium: Moratoriums are used legally in NY State as a tool to temporarily
give municipalities the time to cautiously review and revise land-use laws. The
NY guidelines state: “A land-use moratorium is a local enactment …while the
community considers and potentially adopts changes to its comprehensive plan
and land use regulations to address new circumstances. The objective of
municipal land use controls is to promote community planning values by properly
regulating land development.” A moratorium will be worded to exempt
hardship cases.
2.5.
The should take every measure to protect
the ridge etc.. (I need help with this language
The process
for designing the new Comprehensive Masterplan and zoning requirements should
allow for and encourage for
public input through open meetings and regular inputsolicitations
of citizen comment by letter, email and phone.
The
Ridge and its ______what language for the slopes etc) should be given special status
as a Critical Environmental Area, and
be given complete protection from
residential, commercial or
industrial development. The new Comprehensive Masterplan and zoning
requirements should adressaddress this. need to enforce
this
Reasoning:More
information:(this can only be to the end of the
page)
The Ridge
Development Could
Have the Following Effects: Proposal:
something short and sweet
(add
language from save the ridge petition) This is from Irwin’s Talking Points
·
Containment
and disposal of sewerage sludge
·
Toxic
run-off including road salt, pesticides, Threaten
Water Supplies from pesticides, fertilizers, road
treatments, increased demand, sewage systems
·
Spoil Valuable and
Irreplaceable
Viewsheds
- Irrevocably Threaten Forest Ecosystems and
Wildlife Habitats
- Increase traffic and increase air
pollution
from cars,
buses, snowplows, snowmobiles, ATV’s, lawnmowers,
air conditioners, home furnaces, etc…
Please write letters and/or make phone calls
to:
@
·
GARDINER
TOWN BOARD: Mail can be sent to:
Town of Gardiner, P.O. Box 1, Gardiner,
NY 12525
Or email:
Town Clerk, TownClerk@hvc.rr.com
Supervisor: JACK HAYES, 255-9675
Council members:
MARC
ALEXANDER, 255-7354
PAUL
COLUCCI
FRED
FISCHER, 255-3691
BILL
RICHARDS, 255-0804
Gardiner PLANNING BOARD
CARMINE
MELE, Exp: 04/01/2008
634
Route 208
Gardiner,
NY 12525
SCOTT
MOSHER Exp: 04/01/2004
841
North Mountain Road
Gardiner,
NY 12525
255-1926
LOUIS
BENSON Exp: 04/01/2005
P.O.
Box 236
Gardiner,
NY 12525
MARIO
MILANO Exp: 04/01/2007
459
Route 208 South
New
Paltz, NY 12561
255-3610
BEVERLY
TANTILLO Exp: 04/01/2002
702
Route 208
Gardiner,
NY 12525
255-6196
RICHARD
BUTLER Exp: 04/01/2006
300
McKinstry Road
Gardiner,
NY 12525
255-6128
MICHAEL
BOYLAN Exp: 04/01/2003
699
Route 208
Gardiner,
NY 12525
255-8238
|
CARMINE MELE (Exp:
04/01/2008)
634 Route 208
Gardiner, NY 12525
|
BEVERLY
TANTILLO (Exp:
04/01/2002)
702 Route 208
Gardiner, NY 12525
255-6196
|
|
SCOTT
MOSHER (Exp:
04/01/2004)
841 North Mountain Road
Gardiner, NY 12525
255-1926
|
RICHARD
BUTLER (Exp:
04/01/2006)
300 McKinstry Road
255-6128
|
|
LOUIS
BENSON (Exp:
04/01/2005)
P.O. Box 236
Gardiner, NY 12525
|
MICHAEL
BOYLAN, chairman (Exp:
04/01/2003)
699 Route 208
Gardiner, NY
12525
255-8238
|
|
MARIO
MILANO Exp: (04/01/2007)
459 Route 208 South
New Paltz, NY 12561
255-3610
|
JAMES
FREIBAND, TOWN PLANNER
15 Summit Drive
Highland Mills, NY 10930
Margaret Wagner, Planning Board Clerk
|
JAMES
FREIBAND, TOWN PLANNER
15
Summit Drive
Highland
Mills, NY 10930
Margaret
Wagner, Planning Board Clerk
Please come to
Gardiner Town Board and Planning Board meetings:
At the Gardiner Town Hall
Town Board
meetings: First and second Tuesday of
the month, 7:30 pm
Planning Board meetings: Third Tuesday of the month, 7:30 pm
Meeting
agenda’s can be seen on Gardiner’s web page
For more
information contact:
Save the Ridge
P.O. Box 326
Wallkill, NY 12589
845-895-5577
info@savetheridge.com
Distributed by Save the Ridge with
assistance from The Shawangunk Ridge Coalition. (Jan.11,2003)