|
Do Not Stop Smart Growth in Cold Spring
Dear Editor:
The Village of Cold Spring has a unique opportunity ahead. During the next months we will begin the process of dealing with three properties which have blighted our otherwise pristine village for years.
The Butterfield Hospital building and grounds is one. The Gallero developers were the successful bidders. Look what they did at the waterfront. The homes look like they belong, the landscaping is beautiful, the construction seems to be quality, and they are selling to future taxpaying citizens.
Here are some of the proposals that I have heard regarding Butterfield: leave it as an open field, rebuild the hospital, make a nursing home, give it to the fire company, build more senior citizen's housing or slap a moratorium on all construction in Cold Spring, stick our heads in the sand, and don't deal with it at all.
Moratoriums can be a slippery slope and when targeted to specific projects, such as this one, the village can be sued and, as past court cases have proven, the village can lose.
Zoning laws, already on the books, will be quite effective in dealing with the hospital property. Use these laws to "give and take" in the negotiations and get what is best for Cold Spring. Negotiate. Work with the developer, not against him.
The Loretto Rest property should be sold. We have neither the money, the need, nor the ambition to refurbish it. Sell it with deed restrictions, but let someone else deal with the headache. The property has deteriorated to such an extent that it soon will be un-saleable.
How much has the Battery Factory site already cost the village in law suits? The courts have awarded a judgment for the county regarding the unpaid taxes. Now Bondi wants blood with fines and penalties. Give it up Bob. Ken Kearney, the owner of the property, is willing to give Cold Spring over two acres for parking, a community center, or whatever. We really need the parking, the community center would be nice and the whatever would be a bonus.
A certain contingent in town wants to put a hold on any development until we complete the master plan, a plan that will probably be 3 years in the writing, a year for public comment, a year for approval, and several years in re-zoning. I am not willing to stop smart growth in Cold Spring for an entire generation.
Let us approach development by asking these questions: does the proposal fit in with the architecture and atmosphere of Cold Spring; is it appropriately zoned; does it fit a community need; how will it impact the school, traffic, and the infrastructure; how will it impact taxes?
For too many years good opportunities have slipped through our hands for lack of insight or general indifference. We have real potential now with really good people poised to make something nice. Let's not waste the moment.
Tom Rolston
Philipstown
| 
