http://www.shawangunkjournal.com/2009/03/19/news/0903192.html
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Aerial view of proposed Williams Lake development. Courtesy image |
First a little history: Anita Peck, whose grandfather founded the resort, said the family, after 75 years in business, had decided to shutter its doors and sell the property. She said the resort needed major renovations that were too cost-prohibitive for the family to invest in such a large project.
The family had hoped the property would attract buyers who shared their land stewardship values and would work to preserve the area's unique history. In 1999, Peck placed 450 of the property's 730 total acreage into a land conservancy and donated 10 acres of natural cave to the nature conservancy when Indiana bats, an endangered species, were discovered to be hibernating and reproducing in the caves.
Prospective buyers "came and went" when they realized more than half of the land was placed in a nature conservancy, until Peck said she overheard a member of an interested group say, "It's already got a land conservancy; we won't have to do it ourselves."
Allred was one of the people visiting the resort that day in 2006, and, after purchasing the property, has located into the home in which Peck was raised.
Hudson River Valley Resorts, the company proposing the $200 million project, consists of "four or five socially responsible investors," Allred said; "a handful of like-minded folks who are committed to this vision."
He said that, with "the exception of anything of historic value," including the kiln walls, artifacts from Rosendale's vanished natural cement industry, and a building known as the honeymoon cottage, the project calls for the total demolition of the existing building, to be replaced by a "modern, clean, energy-efficient" resort.
He described the property as rich in biodiversity, consisting of flora and fauna variety beyond just the "cute little bats."
The developers' concept plan calls for sustainability in the redevelopment of the site into "a modern, higher-end resort and residential community," that focuses on wellness and outdoor recreation, complete with a spa and a health center.
He said the idea is to have a spa, new resort, wellness center, and a museum highlighting Rosendale's natural cement history, with amenities such as hiking and biking trails along the entire conservation area.
Plans also include "two neighborhoods" of 60 single-family homes and 100 kiln-styled townhouses, with walls that abut one of the prominent kiln walls on the site, creating "a verticality and a dramatic sense of the old and the new."
The single-family homes will leave a "relatively small footprint," he said, "and are carefully sited for views and privacy, to minimize tree-harvesting, and are very thoughtfully placed for passive solar heating."
The 130-room hotel is planned to be LEED certified, a program that rates a project's performance across a variety of spectrums, including "energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 reduction, indoor environmental quality, stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts."
Allred said he hopes the hotel will be built to Gold LEED standards; the highest level of LEED certification is Platinum.
The overall project, he said, "fits so well with the plans of the county" in terms of the strategic planning because it emphasizes green building design, tourism and smart growth.
Plans also include provisions for aggressive rainwater recycling and reuse, with an eye toward sustainability.
He said the resort seeks to utilize local goods whenever possible in terms of supporting local farmer's markets, growers, and businesses, and is committed to working with local materials and suppliers. He said the project should create jobs to employ approximately 200 local people.
Allred lamented the snail's pace of movement on the project, noting that they are still awaiting the final scope, which is one of the first steps involved in the SEQRA process. "We submitted our plans in November 2007 — the statute on the scope is supposed to be 60 days, we're now into our sixteenth month. Why does it have to take six, 10, 12 years before we can get through an environmental review process?"
Acknowledging some local opposition to the project, he charged as "unfair" the criticism leveled at the project regarding the perceived loss of public access to the property. He said that, though the William's family has been very generous over the years, the property has always been private. Nevertheless, he said his organization is committed to continuing "Anita's legacy of providing access, particularly for recreation, environmental and educational purposes."
To that end, he announced the return of the William's Lake Mountain Bike Classic, to be held on June 14, which is being co-sponsored this year by Favata's Table Rock Tours and Bicycles of Rosendale and Hudson River Valley Resorts, LLC. For more information about the Classic, visit: http://www.trtbicycles.com/.
I see something like that exploding in popularity, much like a Branson Mo area did.
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