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Developer Presents Preliminary Plans for Butterfield Hospital Site
Senior Citizen center and assisted living facility are considered
by Kevin Foley
Real estate developer Paul Guillaro ended weeks of speculation when he presented a "conceptual plan" for the old Butterfield Hospital site to the Cold Spring Board of Trustees last week. The plan includes a new living facility, a senior citizen center, and condominiums for retired people, along with land for a new home for the Cold Spring Volunteer Fire Company. Guillaro, whose Unicorn Contracting Inc. built the luxury condominiums on the Cold Spring waterfront, spoke before the Trustees and an audience that filled the Village Hall meeting room on Tuesday, October 23, 2007. Careful to characterize his plan as preliminary, open to community suggestions and subject to formal Village review, Guillaro held up two similar large boards that sketched out the division of the 5.7 acre property he is expected to close this week in a $2 million transaction with Hudson Valley Hospital.
According to the plan, the old Butterfield Hospital would be converted into a for-profit assisted living facility. Guillaro said he would probably seek a partnership with a company with experience to operate the While the size of the facility is still to be determined, Guillaro said it would contain space for a public senior citizen center to host a variety of activities for which he would seek community input from the Village as the Town of Philipstown and Putnam County.
The plan also calls for the construction of four new condominium buildings with approximately 8-10 units each, designed for purchase by retired people. The developer said he did not yet have prices in mind for but that they would be "affordable but not subsidized." The buildings, along with the rest of the plan, would be consistent with current Cold Spring zoning, according to Guillaro
The Lahey Pavilion, which houses private physicians, other medical providers and hospital outpatient services, will continue to be operated by Hudson Valley Hospital under a planned 49-year lease. Guillaro said he would also donate a half an acre of land for the Village to construct a new firehouse. He described "a 8,000 sq. feet footprint" that would allow a building with two levels, and 3 garage bays 100 to house fire trucks and equipment. The second level would also allow for a community meeting room for Village groups. Mayor Anthony Phillips was quick to add that Guillaro was donating only the land and that the Village would have the responsibility of funding the construction of the new firehouse, a project the Mayor appeared to take on. During a lively public discussion period it was suggested that housing and office space for professionals might be more desirable as a way to generate a greater mix of businesses for the Village, which is highly on tourist visits. Guillaro at first said it was worth exploring, but when Mayor Phillips said it would mean significant zoning changes, the developer demurred. In response to several questions regarding the size of the assisted living facility and the pricing of the condos, Guillaro stressed he needed time to conduct market surveys before deciding on the specifics of these "This plan could evolve as we go along," he said.
Guillaro said he expected to submit a detailed plan to the Village Planning Board within a month or so. He said he anticipated it would take a year to obtain all the approvals necessary to proceed. Mayor Phillips and Guillaro shared a humorous moment when the Mayor suggested the Village could complete planning for a firehouse in a shorter time frame and that perhaps it could proceed with construction approvals were pending. Guillaro was nonplussed for a moment and then quickly declared, "you can't get your approval before I do," to general laughter. Reaction was generally favorable toward the plan as Guillaro outlined it. A general consensus emerged among the Trustees and most of the more than 40 people in the audience that a senior center and a new firehouse overdue Village amenities and that housing for seniors was also needed. "A lot of seniors who sell their houses end up leaving the Village," said Mayor Phillips. Vinny Cimino, a member of the fire company, said he was obviously excited about a new firehouse but that he also thought that housing would be available for Village seniors. "This makes it possible for the Village to take care of its own," he said.
Carol Casparian, chair of the Village Special Board, bolstered the point by pointing out that Cold Spring's population is 34% senior citizen compared with only 4% for all of Putnam County. Trustee Karen Dunn suggested that as the Special Board developed data toward the creation of a Comprehensive Plan they might be helpful to the fire company in planning a new firehouse. Mayor Phillips, who with Dunn over her advocacy of a moratorium on development, said, "I can't believe the Special Board knows anything more than the Fire Department about building a new firehouse." Prior to the Butterfield Sergeant Darrell Burris, head of the Cold Spring Police Department, led a discussion regarding the possible formation of a Neighborhood Watch group, which he had previously proposed as a response to the rash of in the Village and surrounding areas in late summer. Burris passed out surveys for business owners and residents to gather more specific information about activities and security procedures in the Village. The survey are available in the Village Hall. Both Burris and Mayor Phillips urged people to remain vigilant even though the burglaries appear to have abated. The Mayor pointed out that other Hudson Valley communities, he named Rhinecliff, Warwick and had experienced an outbreak of similar crimes. The mayor also announced that he had reached agreement with Central Hudson Electric to have Christmas lights on Main Street for one more year despite the utility's apparent new official objection to pole to pole of lights. "We've been doing it for 60 years and now all of a sudden it's not allowed. We'll continue to work with them for the years ahead," said the Mayor.
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