Town weighs ban on building

By Michael Valkys Poughkeepsie Journal March 19, 2005

New large-scale residential development in the Town of Poughkeepsie could stop for the rest of the year under a plan being considered by the town board.
The move could delay a plan to add hundreds of residential units at the Casperkill Country Club site off Route 9 and other projects. The town board is expected to make a decision on the proposed nine-month moratorium next month.
''A moratorium jeopardizes our project,' said Bill Madden, a spokesman for Hawthorne-based Ginsburg Development, which is handling the Casperkill site. ''It shuts down the process for nine months, which is an eternity in the real estate business.''
The planning board Thursday recommended the town board not go forward with the moratorium, which would cover residential developments of 11 lots or more. Projects that have already received final site plan approval from the planning board would not be affected, officials said.
Supervisor Joseph Davis said the moratorium would give town officials time to complete a long-awaited update of the master plan and prepare necessary zoning changes.
''The town board felt it was the right time to do it,'' Davis said. ''This would give us a chance to sit down and catch our breath.''
Opinion is divided
The proposal has earned mixed reviews from residents and developers. Some residents say the moratorium does not go far enough, and commercial development should be included.
But developers and other residents say the proposed moratorium is unnecessary and could block needed projects that could add tax dollars to town coffers.
''A moratorium is needed on all projects in the town until the draft master plan is complete and the zoning laws updated,'' said Doreen Tignanelli, who is also a member of the town's Conservation Advisory Commission.
There is an application before the planning board for two five-story office buildings, a hotel and conference center, restaurant and retail just north of Spackenkill Road off Route 9. There is also a separate hotel proposal nearby where Rood's Florist is now located. Neither would be affected by the proposed moratorium.
Davis said a commercial moratorium was not proposed because most developments coming in are along Route 9.
''Commercial development is going where commercial development is supposed to go,'' Davis said of the Route 9 corridor.
Ginsburg officials said the moratorium could also lead to massive tax hikes in the nearby Spackenkill school district. The district has seen a loss in tax revenue since a settlement with IBM Corp. that drastically reduced the assessment on the company's Poughkeepsie headquarters.
Phil Evans, an executive vice president with Ginsburg, called the moratorium proposal ''unnecessary and shortsighted.''
''The Spackenkill school district has very few major vacant tracts of land that could be developed to help offset the loss of IBM tax ratables,'' Evans said, predicting school taxes could increase by 50 percent by 2007.
Loss in revenue
Spackenkill Superintendent Lois Colletta agreed the IBM settlement has had an impact on taxes in the district. The district has been monitoring the Casperkill plan, which could add hundreds of students to the district, but which would also increase tax revenues.
The Ginsburg proposal could add 469 homes at the site, although the developer hopes to preserve the popular golf course there. Evans said the long-term viability of the course depends on Ginsburg's ability to build a residential community around it.
But Town Planner Laura Wojtowicz said the environmental impact study Ginsburg is required to perform could take up to a year anyway. Ginsburg could continue to work on the plans during the moratorium, but could not gain any approvals.
Colletta said Spackenkill has not taken a position on the proposed moratorium.
''I think that's best left to the town,'' Colletta said.
Planning board Chairman John Weisman said the moratorium was not needed, noting that the Ginsburg proposal would likely take up to two years before work might begin.
''We just felt the moratorium was premature and not particularly needed at this time,'' Weisman said of the board's recommendation.
Michael Valkys can be reached at mvalkys@poughkeepsiejournal.com
Public hearing
The Poughkeepsie town board has scheduled a public hearing on a proposed nine-month moratorium on some residential construction. The hearing is set for 7 p.m. April 6 at Arlington Middle School off Dutchess Turnpike in the Town of Poughkeepsie. For information, visit www.townofpoughkeepsie.com or call 845-485-3620.
Copyright © 2005, Poughkeepsie Journal .

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