The Rhinebeck Town meeting held at the Rhinecliff Firehouse on April 14th featured a presentation by The Rhinecliff Advisory Council on alternatives to the Comprehensive Plan’s proposed “Rhinecliff extension,” previously known as the “Rhinecliff TND.”

Geoff Sanborn (of the Advisory Council) gave a slide presentation and discussion on the four key concerns of the council. These included: The narrow streets and need for safe play areas, limited parking, challenging infrastructure, and the increased flooding that has occurred in recent years.

Some of the details discussed by Mr. Sanborn included the near impossibility of installing a sewage system in Rhinecliff due to the expense needed to overcome the complex geography and the significant historical significance of the region.
The slide presentation included recent photographs of the terrible flooding Rhinecliff has seen in the last few years. This is worth mentioning given the Comp-Plan’s proposed “Rhinecliff extension” is situated on wetlands and steep slopes.

Recognizing the need for growth, the council presented alternative locations be considered at the Laidlaw/Butcher Boys property to the North. Currently zoned commercial, they recommended the zoning be changed to residential.
In order to improve upon the Comp-Plans current recommendations, the council supported the use of Conservation Subdivisions to determine the best areas to place new development.

This practice relies on four key steps to define the best place to build. (i) identifying primary and secondary conservation areas, (ii) design open space to protect them, (iii) arranging houses outside of those protected areas, and (iv) finally lay out streets, lots and infrastructure.

In addition, the council laid out an ambitious plan for connecting the Village of Rhinebeck with the hamlet through a Greenway and connecting trails. This would allow residents to walk and bike from the Village to the hamlet on trails and foot paths.

While most of the presentation was focused on better alternatives to the Comp-Plan’s proposed “Rhinecliff extension,” there were some additional points worth noting. The council proposed capping the size of new homes in the hamlet at 2,800 sq feet in an effort to maintain the character of and feel of existing homes in the historic hamlet. The council also suggested that where appropriate, accessory housing be allowed such as converted garages. This would of course be dependent on septic approval etc.

Few questions were posed to the council after the presentation. The Town Board seemed very receptive and requested printed copies of the presentation for further review.

We hope to post the slide show presented by the council as soon as we receive a copy.