Room for a View > Focus on Development
AwostingReserve Development Proposed
by Lorna Tychostup

A 353-unit luxury housing development nestled on 2,660 acres of pristine Shawangunk mountain range in Ulster County has been proposed by landowner John Atwater Bradley and developers Chaffin/Light Associates. Known as the Awosting Reserve, the site shares boundary lines with Minnewaska State Park, Sam’s Point Preserve, and Mohonk Preserve, all of which are open to the public and designated as development free. The proposed development spans three towns: Gardiner (2,237 acres), Shawangunk (282 acres), and Wawarsing (141 acres).

Plans submitted to the town of Gardiner on December 23, 2002 make provision for construction of a gated subdivision community consisting of 269 “retreat” homes measuring 4,500 square feet on 2.5 acre lots; 52 3,000-square-foot “cottages” on one-acre lots; and 28 2,000-square-foot “cabins” on half acre lots.

Also included in the subdivision plans are a 296-acre private, championship-level golf course near Tillson Lake with a 12,500-square-foot clubhouse. There will also be an 8,000-square-foot wastewater and site maintenance facility, and a 3,000-square-foot sales building.

An estimated 196,000 gallons of wastewater will be discharged each day from the development into a tributary of the Dwar Kill and possibly Tillson Lake. Individual wells are proposed as the water supply, with a total anticipated water usage of 157,150 gallons per day.

Currently, 2,519 acres of the parcel is comprised of forested land, 93 acres of both state and federal wetland area, and 26 acres of surface water bodies (including Tillson Lake). The project will require development of steep slopes along the Shawangunk Ridge and approximately 60 percent of the land surface to be developed is on slopes greater than 15 degrees. There is a 500-foot cliff buffer zone separating the proposed project from Minnewaska State Park property.

According to the Environmental Assessment Form (eaf) submitted along with the developer’s site plans, the habitat of the timber rattlesnake, a threatened species, will potentially be impacted, as will the habitats of other species of plants and wildlife, such as trout spawning areas. While the full impact to land and wildlife on the property is still undergoing survey, the parcel does contain unique and unusual land forms, according to the eaf: “Various geological formations associated with the Shawangunk Mountains [cliffs], including portions of the Crags and Gertrude’s Nose, as well as several waterfalls.” Although not mentioned in the eaf survey, it is important to note that Lake Awosting is a mere half-mile (2,625 feet) from the northern edge of the proposed subdivision.

The eaf also shows potential impacts to the physical land, surface water (including streams, pond, and lakes), ground water and surrounding regional watershed, “historic and archaeological resources,” open space and recreational land use throughout the entire Awosting Reserve. There are also potential impacts to critical environmental areas containing unique and fragile resources such as ice caves, spring-fed lakes, and dramatic views of the Shawangunk Ridge.

The Gardiner Town Board is investigating their options for a lead agency, required by the State Environmental Quality Review Act (seqra), to review the proposed development project. Late last year, before plans for the Awosting Reserve were submitted, Gardiner had decided to review their Master Plan. Approximately 200 people (a record number), mainly critics of the proposed development, attended the January 14 meeting of the Gardiner town board and demanded that a temporary moratorium on new development be implemented. Temporary moratoriums are recommended by the state when a town’s Master Plan is under review.

In the meantime, forces are gathering on both sides of the issue. Some in the town see benefits from the proposed development of the ridge. The Gardiner Association for Responsible Development December 2002 newsletter stated, “Primarily, these would be upscale, second homes which, some argue could be “good’ to encourage in the community—fewer kids in schools, good pocket money for local businesses, and high assessment values that bring in lots of tax dollars to government coffers.”

Others see the possible loss of what they consider “one of the last great places on the planet” as unconscionable. A group calling itself Save the Ridge formed before the first word of luxury housing development was mentioned in the media. A flyer put together by the group cites loss of open space; destruction of nearby Shawangunk Valley views; drowning out of the night sky due to light pollution from the hundreds of residences; decrease in property values; increased traffic; runoff of lawn chemicals, salt, sewage, and golf course chemicals; effects on the water supply with the increased demand of water; increased risk of forest fires; and class issues surrounding the presence of “an exclusive neighborhood, behind a gate, complete with its own golf course, club house, beach, sports garden, fitness center, swimming pool, and lodge...349 homes representing a population increase of about 1,000 (20 percent of Gardiner) that sets itself apart from and above the local community.”

Save the Ridge is a member of the Shawangunk Ridge Coalition, a growing alliance of more than 20 local, regional, and national organizations working to protect the entire Shawangunk Ridge from development. “There is a groundswell of voices demanding protection of this valuable resource,” said Amy Little, coalition coordinator. “People are looking to the future asking, ‘What do we need to sustain ourselves?’ We need clean water. We need open space. We need to change the way we have been altering the planet to meet our immediate needs without thinking [of] the future. It’s about being smart enough to say, ‘Enough is enough.’”

The plans are now in the hands of the towns effected by actual construction impacts of the proposed subdivision. Gardiner is effected to a much larger degree than Shawangunk due to its larger share of the acreage involved. Wawarsing is not effected because actual subdivision buildings will not be on their town property.

The approval process cannot begin until the towns deem the plans as complete or not. Shawangunk has said they are not. Gardiner has retained Albany attorney Kevin Young, under the recommendation of town counsel Paul Kellar, to review the plans for this purpose.

In addition, in accordance with seqra, a lead agency must be chosen to review the proposed development project. According to Gardiner Town Supervisor Jack Hayes, he has been in “discussion with Wawarsing Supervisor Richard Kraft and Shawangunk Supervisor John Velk investigating their options for a lead agency. Their main choice at this time is the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Stay tuned.

To make your opinion heard contact: Save the Ridge:
www.savethe ridge.com; (845) 895-5577.

Shawangunk Ridge Coalition (via e-mail): amylittle@shawangunkridge.org; (845) 255-3786.

Town of Gardiner Supervisor Jack Hayes: (845) 255-9675.