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Residents weigh in on growth
By Bianca Sausa
The Times Herald-Record, February 07, 2003

Shawangunk - The people have spoken. But they will get a chance to speak again. After four public meetings, held to gather opinions on growth in the town, the Comprehensive Planning Committee, formed to revise the master plan, will take those opinions and make a draft master plan. That plan will then be presented to the public for more input. The town has at least 180 proposed residential units on hold while it revises the master plan. A six-month moratorium was declared in November and is up in April.

The four January meetings brought out a range of opinions, including
those of landowners who can no longer afford taxes and have to sell off their land. Town officials also heard from landowners who want to protect the area around them, including wetlands, the Shawangunk Ridge, the Wallkill River, and historic homes.
At the Walker Valley meeting, Greg Greer Jr., a life-long resident, spoke for the larger landowner - although he's not one himself.
"People who own these farms have rights. They want to make money. What incentive do these people have to keep this land open?" Greer said during the public comment period. "A lot of thought should go into infrastructure."

At the first and last meetings, many residents brought up the need for more commercial businesses to draw tourists to the town and keep residents from having to shop in Orange County.
At both meetings, people discussed how development could affect schools, roads and the beauty of the town.
"The reality is there is growth and development that will occur in this
community," New Paltz planning consultant and moderator Peter Fairweather said to the crowd in Walker Valley. "What are the values that will shape that growth?"
Developer Frank Nutt Jr., who tabled his proposed 15-unit development at the corner of New Prospect Road and Bruyn Turnpike until further notice, attended the public meetings, took notes, listened and talked to residents.
"I'd like to see smart planning," Nutt said at the meeting at the
Shawangunk Valley firehouse. "I'd like not to have people say that they don't want development."
Nutt was born and raised in Pine Bush and has been building for 25 years. "People want to change and make it more rural," he said. "Very few people in this room were born and raised here."
Nutt had originally tried to bypass the moratorium by requesting a
waiver. But he tabled his request to hear what the public has to say about development.
Other residents, like Billie Launzinger, don't want Shawangunk to end up like towns in Orange County, where she says there are too many people and not enough water.
"The Town of Shawangunk is the very last piece of real estate before the ridge," Launzinger said. "Focus the development in a smart way and ... protect our water."