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Writer Still Concerned Over Philipstown's Planner
Dear Editor,
The Town Board's long struggle to come up with a solution to Quarry Pond appeared to be paying off at last week's Planning Board (PB) meeting, where Wilder Balter Partners described their site plan. Although there are still some kinks to be worked out, the plan was light years away from the glitzy, high-end 94unit senior development envisioned by Town Planner Tim Miller. 68 units age-restricted, 10 affordable, built 25-30% more energy-efficient than NY State law requires, hiking trails, planted mostly with native vegetation instead of destructive and costly lawn. Once again, ignoring the advice of the Town Planner proved to be immensely beneficial to P'town.
Lately Miller has been sending Janelle Herring, an associate, to take his place as PB advisor. Miller certainly is busy: a glance at the section of his website devoted only to his Putnam County projects (subdivisions, golf courses, industrial developments, office buildings, retail centers) made the hair rise from my head. By most reports, Ms. Herring is doing a commendable job. But 3 members Josephine Doherty, Ande Merante and Pat Sexton have stated that they cannot do their job without Miller, and are demanding that the entire PB schedule be changed to accommodate his.
During last week's meeting Chairman George Cleantis asked other members their opinion. Andrew Pidala opposed it, saying he was satisfied with Ms Herring's work; Kerry Meehan seemed not to feel strongly either way. Michael Gibbons was adamantly opposed to changing the schedule (and thus changing the Town Code) because of his own difficult schedule and because he objects to doing it to suit Miller. Chairman Cleantis opposed the idea, but said if Miller's presence was important to certain members it was his job to try to accommodate them.
We're left with the fact that the 3 most consistently prodevelopment PB members say they cannot do their job without the direction of Philipstown's pro-development Town Planner. Where does the Comprehensive Plan figure in all this? Unlike these four who were appointed, not elected the Plan reflects the desires of the majority of residents. If the Town Code is changed to suit the schedule of Miller (who attempted an 11th-hour delay of the Comp Plan adoption) then the Plan becomes nothing but a bunch of very expensive ideas, easily circumvented by the Planner and his fans on the PB. Eventually P'town may be saved by zoning changes, but meanwhile who will save us from Peter Morris, who recently contacted several large architectural firms regarding "a housing development in Cold Spring"?
Changing the Town Code to suit Tim Miller would be a slap in the face to all those who worked so hard on the Comp Plan. And I wonder if Miller's enormous P'town salary reflects his recent absence from PB meetings? As Mr. Meehan said, "If we're paying Tim Miller to be here, and he's not here, then what are we paying him all this money for?"
Suzie Gilbert
Garrison
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