The Town of Bethel Planning Board effectively silenced the public at the Wednesday evening meeting on June 27. This happened, at least in part, due to the “legal” maneuvering of attorney Richard Stoloff, who represents the developer who wants to build 28 homes on County Road 115.

It is a cluster development. In essence, each home will sit on roughly a half-acre parcel in close proximity. They need to obtain permission for an easement to do so, as County Road 115 is in an agriculturally zoned district. They are doing so by calling it a conservation development.

I think that we need to look behind the facade to find the real reasons it may be allowed to happen.

After the meeting, I had the opportunity to speak with Stoloff, Velez, the developer from Long Island, NY, and Wes Illing, the engineer/surveyor for the project. Stoloff told me that the planning board could have kept the public hearing opened, had they chosen to do so. However, he said that they did not know how to do it, and he was not about to tell them how. He said that he works for another Sullivan County town planning board. It appears that he had Bethel’s planning board buffaloed.

You see, first the board voted to keep the public hearing open. Stoloff argued that the public could not possibly have any new information that was not already addressed.

I do not know how he came to that conclusion. He, representing the developer, was allowed to make comment, not the general public. He also stated that he wanted it on the record that the planning board was acting arbitrarily and capriciously. Sadly, they listened to him, but not the many residents who tried to speak and were silenced. Not politely, I might add. At one point later on in the meeting, the board chairman slammed his gavel on the table hard enough to hurt my ears, silencing a woman who demanded to be heard as a taxpayer. She had no attorney with her, so why listen?

Another tactic was used by board consultant Tom Shepstone. When a citizen spoke up, Shepstone told the board chairman that he would not be subjected to a “mob” and to please silence “them.” I observed no mob, just local residents who wanted to be heard.

I was under the assumption that Shepstone worked for us, the local taxpayers. He said during the meeting that he had worked on a sewer agreement for a developer. Who paid for this work? Perhaps that is part of his job. But it left a bad taste in my mouth. The whole process seemed to be slanted in favor of the out-of-town developers.

After a short recess, during which time Attorney Stoloff could plainly be seen talking vehemently to the board’s attorney, Marvin Newberg, the board came back into session and a motion was made to rescind the previous motion to keep the public hearing open. It passed unanimously. What happened during that recess? Was a lawsuit threatened for the planning board acting “arbitrarily and capriciously?”

I appreciate the efforts of planning board members, who are volunteers, tremendously. But County Road 115 is a gateway from Pennsylvania. If this project works out it is going to look just like Orange County. And I seriously question whether 28 homeowners can support the sewage treatment facility required. If the project fails, who will the property be sold to next? Or... is it going to be flipped immediately upon getting the approval?

The planning board may have silenced the public at this meeting, and given preliminary approval to the developer, but I, for one, will not go away quietly. I will keep prying until I find the real reasons that this project is being pushed on us. Maybe the reasons are legitimate, but something smells rotten in Denmark.

There are many existing homes for sale in Bethel for people to buy. We do not need to entertain “environmental friendly” cluster housing which requires “bending” the zoning laws.

We, the people, have the right to be heard. If the planning board will not listen, we will try the elected town board. I cannot force anyone to listen, but I will be heard.