ELDRED, NY — At a sparsely attended June 17 special meeting, the Highland Planning Board unanimously approved a conditional special- use permit sought by William Zaccari/Larry Rosner doing business as Catskill Woods LLC, for a proposed family resort on former Sokol Woodlands property at 211 Mail Rd.

The permit was required for a commercial operation on the 31-acre property in the town’s R-2 residential district.

A2Z Hospitality Management, which manages six resorts on Florida’s west coast, will manage the Mail Road operation, where David J. Marinich will be its general manager.

Town planners earlier held public hearings on the project on May 6 and June 3 of this year.

The resolution approved by planners noted review of the project by the Sullivan County Division of Planning and the planning board’s consultant, Keystone Associates.

Engineer Ken Ellsworth of Keystone reported that Catskill Woods had revised its site plan in compliance with Keystone’s recommendations.

Aside from standard directives for the filing of deeds, compliance with state health department permitting, and listed hours of operation, the resolution also directed that the restaurant and lounge/bar can only operate in conjunction with the resort. “If the family resort portion of the approval ceases to function… the approval for the restaurant and bar/lounge is revoked.”

The restaurant and bar/lounge hours of operation were set at 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays and 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. on weekends and holidays.

While public notices earlier cited a 20-room motel, the resolution did not stipulate the number of rooms for the planned motel.

Marinich said developers had completed two or three revisions of plans to do everything they could in consideration of neighbors of the property.

He said the resort would be a “typical Catskill resort where visitors could come to enjoy the mountains and scenery... We will be developing a package of activities, including canoeing, fishing and rafting.”

He said a marketing plan has not been developed. “It will be our own brand, family friendly, enjoyable ambience, for a clean and comfortable stay at a reasonable price, like visiting home in the Catskills.”

The approval marked a sharp turnaround in town positions. In April, the town board approved legal action against the developers for refusing access to the property by the town’s code enforcement officer.

Attorney for the town Michael Davidoff said the lawsuit idea was dropped the following day after the developers’ attorney called and access was granted.

Earlier this month, the town board waived a 30-day review period required by the state liquor authority to expedite licensing of the bar/lounge and restaurant.

Planners also approved a negative declaration for the state’s Environmental Review Act, determining in part that project would have no negative impacts on intensity of use, environmental characteristics, traffic levels, or increased energy usage.

Resident and declared supervisor candidate Chuck Petersheim has repeatedly questioned the town’s review of the project. He submitted a letter to planners claiming State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) findings of “no impact” were wrong.

Following a long list of concerns, Petersheim wrote, “I’ve never seen a more egregious violation of our zoning and building laws… The right of the public to have their zoning codes enforced and impacts evaluated properly is very clear through legal precedent.”