Planned unit development project proposed for Smallwood

Townhouse-style residences would be “high end”

By FRITZ MAYER

BETHEL, NY — A developer wants to put 200 housing units on about 200 acres of land in the community of Smallwood, between Pine Grove Road and Ballard Road. On November 9, Larry Wolinsky, an attorney representing the developer, unveiled plans for the development at the Bethel town board meeting. Wolinsky said about 60 percent of the land is wetlands, and could not be built on; therefore, the developer intends to build attached townhouse-style residences, which would be clustered around the outside of the wetlands with buffers ranging from 75 to 100 feet between the wetland area and any building. The wetland area, therefore, would forever stay undeveloped.

Supervisor Harold Russell said the wetland area could not be developed in any case; therefore, the developer was not really making much of a concession in terms of preserving open space. Architect Joseph Hurwitz, who participated in the presentation, said the other alternative for building on the property would be to “hack it up into single family lots” with individual houses that would require separate septic systems and wells, which would put more stress on the land. He said the “planned unit development” (PUD) was “the right thing to do” from an environmental point of view.

Because the development is a PUD project, the developer is seeking a “sense of the board” before he moves forward to the planning board. Wolinsky said if the board seemed amenable to the plan, his client would begin to spend the necessary funds to take the project forward. The project would include a community sewer and water system, which would need multiple permits from agencies, such as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York Department of Health. The project would also necessitate a study of the area hydrology, to ensure that there is sufficient water to serve 200 new residences along with the hundreds that already exist in Smallwood.

Wolinsky said the residences would probably appeal to seasonal, rather than year-round, homeowners, and described the units as being “higher end, [adding] this is not affordable or workforce housing.” He said that, to his knowledge, the community would not be gated.

Russell was concerned that, if development moved forward, the contracts stipulate that the private roads in the new community, as well as the sewer and water system, would never become the responsibility of the town, should the project be partially completed and then abandoned.

Several residents spoke about concerns of the impacts of such a development on wildlife and traffic. One said simply, “This plan is for too many people.”

Russell requested that Wolinsky return to the board with additional details about the plan before the board indicates whether or not it views the project favorably.

Wolinsky did not return a phone call seeking the identity of the developer.