Mamakating "New City" Update
by Anita Altman
Mamakating residents concerned about the potential development of a “new city” on the site of the former Homowack Hotel, now Spring Mountain Resort, met back in September and organized into the “209 Valley Keepers”. The purpose of organizing was to be able to more effectively monitor any development activities at the site, as well as to make known our concerns about its future use to government officials at both the local and state levels.
And our concerns are considerable. The developers’ fund-raising brochure lays out a comprehensive vision of a city to be built on that land that would include housing, religious, educational, and health facilities, as well as commercial development. In 2001, our town board adopted a master plan that called for maintenance of our rural character. As of the 2000 census (the most current for our area), the Town of Mamakating had a total of 11,002 residents, living in 5,529 housing units, in a township of 98 square miles. This development’s scope and density would violate both the Mamakating Town Master Plan and the aspirations of current residents, who cherish the beauty and tranquility of our environment. The impact of this development on water usage, traffic, noise, and waste disposal alone would be enormous, overwhelmingly burdening our limited infrastructure, and necessitating huge increases in local taxes.
Moreover, this is not the only massive development on the drawing board for Mamakating. It must not be forgotten that this town government, despite fierce opposition, has already approved an 825,000 square-foot mushroom plant giving Yukiguni, the owners, permission to draw over 600,000 gallons of our precious water each day. Even absent the Homowack redevelopment, the Mamakating Planning Board currently is reviewing almost 2,000 units including: the Kingwood Estates - 1000 units; Roosa Gap Road - 250 units, Fordham Estates - 234 units, plus an array of smaller subdivisions. These developments must not be considered in isolation from one another. Their cumulative impact would totally transform Mamakating, in ways that are neither desired by nor in the best interests of those who live here.
It is clear to us that our part-time town government is in no position to oversee the rigorous, highly technical environmental reviews that are warranted by the massive developments that we are confronting. So, our efforts must now turn to engaging the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to get them to mobilize their technical expertise to protect and sustain the natural resources and environment with which we have been blessed.
A local letter writing campaign has already helped to get the DEC to agree to be the lead agency on the Kingwood development, because of the project’s size and scope and its impact on three Sullivan County towns. Projects the size of Kingwood and eventually Homowack will have both inter and intra-county and town impact, and only the State Department of Environmental Conservation has the broad governmental powers necessary to do an appropriate environmental review. A letter writing campaign is already underway to get DEC to be the lead on the environmental review on the Homowack.
If you want to help, please write to the DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis to let him know how important it is that this project get a thorough environmental review.
Commissioner Pete Grannis
NYS Department of Envoronmental Conservation
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233
CC our regional director
William Janeway
Region 3, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
21 S. Putt Road
New Paltz, NY 12561
For further information contact Anita Altman.
