POUGHQUAG — Time will stand still in the hamlet of Poughquag for six months. At least as far as approval of any new development there.

The Beekman town board voted unanimously to enact a six-month moratorium on planning board approvals in the hamlet.

But one of the hamlet developers said the moratorium is unfairly targeting him and could lead him to take legal action against the town.

Developer Sal Nicolosi of Beekman, said the ban was declared just as he was on the verge of receiving preliminary approval of his project: a 12-unit apartment house on a 1.07-acre parcel next to the Beekman firehouse on Beekman Poughquag Road.

"My rights have been violated," Nicolosi said Tuesday. "I am shut down."
With several housing projects proposed for Pough-quag before the planning board, Beekman officials have expressed concern about losing the small-town character of the hamlet.

"It's one of the areas of town that needs a closer look," Councilman Thomas Kinsley said. "It's the only viable hamlet we have at this time."

A six-month moratorium, the officials said, will give the town time to revise its zoning regulations to better preserve that character.

Zoning changes ahead
The planning board will recommend changes in some hamlet uses, including multifamily structures, Beekman Supervisor John Adams said.

The town board in the months ahead will then consider enacting those proposed zoning revisions.
Nicolosi said the colonial structure he is planning to build is in keeping with the hamlet's appearance. The fact the town architectural review board approved his plan, he said, shows the town board is trying to reduce the number of apartments he can build.

"That's his opinion," Councilwoman Barbara Zulauf said. "He's not being targeted. We need to review all the zoning in the hamlet."

The town supervisor said the planning board will continue to review projects during the moratorium. The only action the board can't take during the ban is issue final approval.

"If the zoning code does get changed, you're going to have to modify your plan," Adams said.

John Davis can be reached at jpdavis@poughkeepsiejournal.com

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