The Future of Rhinecliff; Historic Hamlet or Transportation Hub?

The future of Rhinecliff as we know it is in jeopardy. The buildings and landscape of our humble, historic hamlet have remained largely unchanged for more than a century, giving our community a unique, unspoiled charm that compelled many of us to choose Rhinecliff over other locations. Houses have been added onto, a few new homes have been built, businesses have come and gone, yet the overall small-town quality so many of us cherish has remained the same.

But as more and more people have recognized the singularly desirable qualities that our hamlet has to offer, property values have skyrocketed, giving prospective developers a tremendous incentive to build up our beloved enclave of mostly modest houses.

Some of us miss having a café, or would like to see some kind of general store in Rhinecliff’s existing business district. Many of us yearn for a “green belt” to protect our tiny hamlet. Others, however, want no such protection at all, and would even like to see our current one acre zoning reduced to a quarter acre to permit greater density.

What is your vision for the future of Rhinecliff? Do you believe our quality of life would be enhanced by an extensive waste water treatment plant, an enlarged business district, or a “multi-modal public transportation” hub and much greater density? Would you like to see our open space preserved, or do you think our community would be improved by more new construction, condo developments, and quarter-acre zoning? Are you worried by the prospect of more cars speeding down Kelly Street?

If you doubt the urgency of the need for citizen participation in planning Rhinecliff’s future, please view this video clip from a recent Rhinebeck Town meeting, in which one Rhinebeck resident who owns more than 500 acres bordering Rhinecliff lobbies for much greater density in Rhinecliff, calling for sewage treatment, a “multi-modal public transportation” hub, and expansion of the business district.

Some individual landowners would profit significantly from such development. But would it benefit the majority of Rhinecliff residents? Would it enhance our community’s quality of life? We all have a stake in the future of our hamlet, and with the Rhinecliff Advisory Council, you can have a say.

We strongly believe that the kind of development some people are proposing for our hamlet would destroy Rhinecliff's unique character. As one local farmer told the New York Times, “You never bulldoze 100 houses and make a farm. You bulldoze a farm and make 100 houses. When it's gone, it's gone forever.''

Think about it. This may be our last chance to preserve the Rhinecliff we know and love. Act now, before it's too late; submit your application today!

Please post your comments here or visit our comprehensive plan forum.