ELDRED, NY — The process and the subsequent resolutions at the Highland Planning Board are lengthy. As are the meetings, which are now scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

In the case of the resolution allowing the cultivation and production of cannabis on Route 97 in Barryville, the resolution lays out the entire eight-month history of the special use permit application for Shane Pearson and Courtney Crangi.

The resolution makes the case for the cultivation, processing and distribution of cannabis, with no onsite retail sales. In going through the SEQRA process Part I—answering questions about whether the project would be environmentally significant or create change in the community—the board issued a negative declaration and unanimously moved to grant a special use permit. 

Crangi thanked the board for their diligence, saying that the process has been laborious and “no one in the community can fathom the amount of work that you [the planning board members] do.” She acknowledged that she had no idea of the scope of getting a project approved and thanked the board for its time and commitment.

Highland Planning Board chairman Norm Sutherland told the audience that the approval was limited to the special use permit and that all cannabis regulations and permits would come from New York State and were the responsibility of the applicant. 

FIMFO draft EIS

In another lengthy resolution that lays out the elements of Northgate Resorts’ plans to change the former Kittatinny Campgrounds from a tenting campground to an upscale family resort, the board accepted a draft scoping document prepared by the applicant.

This is the first of 12 steps in the SEQRA process. 

The draft document was reviewed by Keystone Associates, the town’s consultants, which requested that current traffic data be collected “to determine the existing and proposed traffic volumes on Route 97 at the entrances of the project will not result in a change of the level of service of Route 97.” Keystone, on behalf of the town, asked the applicant to direct its focus to the intersection of Route 97 and Route 55 on weekends during operation of the Barryville Farmers Market and to identify the issues and recommend solutions to the town’s concern about mitigating traffic issues. 

Sutherland said the requested amendments were included in the draft that was presented the board, and asked for a resolution to open a 20-day comment period beginning on Friday, November 3 and ending on Wednesday, November 22. The document will be circulated to all involved and interested agencies for review and comment. The motion carried unanimously.

Following the comment period, the draft scoping document will be revised and resubmitted to the planning board.

For more about the 12 steps of the SEQRA process, visit riverreporter.com/news.

Planning board member Jeff Spitz took issue with the scope document’s reference to the park-style RVs, which are attached to water, sewer and electric, as temporary and suggested that it was a point of clarification and part of the impact statement that needs to be addressed. 

Sutherland said that the process allows for the planning board to provide written additions and comments.

Changes to 211 Mail Road

Project’s engineer John Fuller presented a revised site plan for a religious retreat at 211 Mail Rd., formerly the Catskills Mountain Resort. Changes to the plan include the building of two dormitory buildings and a reconfiguration of a proposed 10,000-square-foot multipurpose building. Originally presented as four dormitory buildings with 128 beds, the new configuration of two buildings raises the bed number to 144. The multipurpose building has now been changed to a 9,000-square-foot building that will be used as a house of worship, Fuller said. 

Location of the project’s septic system has also been moved, as have been driveways and parking lots. The board read a letter from Fusco Engineering, the town’s engineering consultant, which had reviewed the original plans. The letter stipulated that new percolation testing be done on the proposed septic site and witnessed by Fusco, that the NYS Department of Health be involved in approval of the sanitary system, and that a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan be prepared and submitted to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, among other issues. The project is located in the R-2 Agricultural and Residential district and will be applying for several special use permits. 

The board took no action, as the application plan is not completed.

The board will meet on Wednesday, November 29 at 6 p.m. It was rescheduled from November 22 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.