Letter to Town Board from Rhinecliff resident John F. Lyons

30 December 2008

Hon. Thomas Traudt, Supervisor
 and Members of the Town Board
Town of Rhinebeck Town Hall
80 East Market Street
Rhinebeck, New York 12572

Dear Supervisor Traudt and Members of the Board:
We are residents of Rhinecliff and also members of the Morton Road Association (MRA). We
write to let you know that were shocked and bitterly disappointed by the Board’s recent decision
to permit 200 units of housing on the former Holy Cross property on Morton Road.
This decision will profoundly, and adversely, impact the area surrounding this property and the
nearby hamlet of Rhinecliff.

From a planning perspective, this decision is an exceedingly poor one. The area in which this
property is located is isn’t Anywhere, USA. The area is recognized as being of both scenic and
historic importance. That importance of the area has been officially recognized at the national
level by its inclusion in the Hudson River Heritage Historic District (U.S. National Historic
Landmark District). At the State level, this area is part of the State Coastal Zone Program and
has been designated a New York State Estates District Scenic Area of Statewide Significance.
Morton Road is also a State-designated “Scenic Road” having been designated as such by the
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in 1985. At the local level, the
importance of this area is discussed at length in the Town of Rhinebeck Local Waterfront
Revitalization Plan (LWRP).

Two hundred units of housing on the former Holy Cross site is an affront to the present
character of this area. Such a plan portends the ruin of both the character and quality of life in
the surrounding area and hamlet. Moreover, two hundred units of housing will have a
devastating adverse impact on traffic conditions and safety both on Morton Road and in the
Rhinecliff hamlet. The two hundred unit density also completely contradicts the goals of the
revised comprehensive plan as originally proposed by the Town Comprehensive Plan Revision
Committee to preserve the scenic and historic character of the lands which surround this site.
Moreover, these decisions also go against the policies of Rhinebeck’s own LWRP (see Policies
18, 23, 23A, 24B, and 24C).

The MRA has advocated in previous communications to you, and in a meeting with Supervisor
Traudt and Board Member Staley, that the resolution of this matter is to simply allow the former
Holy Cross site to retain its present 5-acre residential zoning designation without any other uses
of the site permitted (e.g., senior housing). This makes sense from a planning perspective
because, while the property would still be far more dense than the surrounding area, the 5-acre
density would be a density that would be appropriate for the character of the area, consistent
with the LWRP and would present impacts to the surrounding area which would have a higher
likelihood of being able to be adequately mitigated during the environmental review process.
This also makes sense from a fairness perspective as it would allow the property owner to
develop the property with the same zoning designation that was in place at the time it
purchased the property.

Besides the adverse environmental impacts and poor planning rationale, this decision is also
deeply upsetting because it appears that the Board has chosen to succumb to the threats of a
combative, out-of-town developer with poor credibility and no stake in the future well-being and
quality of life of this community over the interests of those who live in and love this community.
We are citizens, residents and voters. While we may behave more civilly than a bullying
developer, make no mistake, we can assure you that the citizens of Rhinecliff and Rhinebeck
who live in the vicinity of this property will fight as long and hard as we have to in order to
protect the sanctity of our community and preserve its wonderful character.
We urge you in the strongest possible terms to reverse your decision.

Very truly yours,
John F. Lyons
Joanne M. Gray