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Planning Board Joins Town's Lawsuit
Mamakating All In To Rescind Bloomingburg Permits

MAMAKATING – The Mamakating planning board held a special meeting on February 21 to support the town board's decision to pursue litigation in regards to the controversial Chestnut Ridge project based on the planners' July 2016 decision to rescind building permits for the 396-unit development based on faulted statements in the applicants' SEQRA documentation.

The decision to rescind the permits did not apply to the fifty or so units that had already been given certificates of occupation. Subsequent to the planning board's action, the Village of Bloomingburg took back its planning board function from the town and reaffirmed the original SEQRA findings while reissuing all building permits, allowing construction at Chestnut Ridge to continue.

The town's action is based on a New York State supreme court decision to uphold the town planning board's decision to rescind the permits.

The town board is also working to address the problem of more than 100 cases of open building permits granted but never closed out, and building projects undertaken with no permits. Because of the penalty schedule in place, some of the earlier cases have accrued fees of up to $10,000. In order to ease financial burdens to the involved homeowners, the board has initiated a "Building Department Fees Collection Program" wherein fees relevant to cases originating in the period from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2002 will be reduced by 75 percent, fees from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2012 will be 50 percent less, and fees from January 1, 2013 to the present will be reduced by 25 percent. Each resident with a violation will receive a letter notifying them of the fee reductions, and of the steps they need to take to clear everything up by a deadline date of June 1.

In other business, Fred Harding was named to chair the newly created Local Development Corporation, and two members have been appointed. The board is now looking to appoint two additional residents to serve on the LDC, which will operate independently to promote and support businesses in the town.

Dave Lybolt is the liaison to the town for a project to build a full size replica of a canal boat to be moored near the canal museum on Bova Road. The town hopes to buy or lease the Bova Road property in order to facilitate this project.

After a lengthy process, a derelict structure on Roosa Gap Road has been taken down after twenty years as a local eyesore. Next, the board has their sights on two properties in the Wurtsboro Hills area, one of which is reportedly falling in on itself.

Supervisor Bill Herrmann said that he is supportive of a grassroots initiative to start a neighborhood association to address drug problems and other issues that affect the area. One major concern is a failing dam that holds back the water for a swimming hole in a park in the hills area. Currently, nobody owns this property, and repairs on the dam are estimated at $1 million.

Along with seven other municipalities, Mamakating has received a $15,000 grant from Sullivan Renaissance honoring efforts to clear up local violations, work with residents to beautify public spaces, and build healthy communities. The eight municipalities will now compete for a grand prize of $100,000. In a side note, Herrmann acknowledged the work of Kerron Barnes, who has been instrumental in helping Mamakating to obtain an estimated $1 million in grants over the past years.



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