T IMES
WALLKILL VALLEY
Vol. 35, No 28 3 WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2017
95th
birthday
3
ONE DOLLAR
Reptile weekend
Page 12
Page 21
www .W allkill V alley T imes . net
Wallkill development plan revived Changes for
By TED REMSNYDER
The potential for a multi-building major
development in the heart of the hamlet
of Wallkill has been a dream for local
builders for more than a decade, and the
Gardiner-based Professional Commercial
Group is the latest company to take a
crack at bringing the project to fruition.
Developer Keith Liebolt appeared before
the Shawangunk Planning Board during
its July 5 meeting to go over his firm’s
latest proposal for the site on Park Avenue,
a plan which includes four buildings that
would contain 38 residential units and
four commercial spaces located behind
the Shawangunk Town Hall.
The proposed development, which was
first envisioned by Stewart Crowell and
was subsequently pursued by his wife
Carolyn after Crowell passed away in
2014, is still in the design phase. It would
have to clear multiple hurdles before
anything is built. “It’s all still pending,”
Planning Board Chairman Mark Watkins
said. “There’s nothing. Basically what
we’re doing is looking at designs of
buildings and trying to figure how it fits
in the hamlet. We’re trying to figure out
how many buildings it would be and if the
buildings they’ve proposed are to zoning.
So we’re just still in the work stage.”
Under the current proposal, there
would be one three-story residential
building included in the development that
would be comparable in height to the town
hall. Watkins told the developers during
Wednesday’s meeting that he would prefer
that the proposed three-story structure be
sliced down to two floors, which could
make it more palatable to the residents
of the hamlet. “But I’m only one vote,”
Watkins noted. The project would also
include townhouses and storage units.
Continued on page 4
What’s under your hood?
Fr. Joseph Fallon, pastor of Walden’s Church of the Most Precious Blood, admires a 1936 Packard, Saturday, at the annual Walden Car Show,
sponsored by the MPB Knights of Columbus. More photos on page 17.
Montgomery
solar law
By RACHEL COLEMAN
“We think we’re pretty close,” said
attorney Doug Warden.
Warden represents a solar farm project
pending in the town of Montgomery. He
advised the town board that his clients
hope to have a public hearing before the
town’s planning board by the end of the
month.
Before the project can be finalized
however, the town board needs to
complete work on their proposed local law
which would govern solar installations
like the one proposed by Warden’s clients
on Lake Osiris Road.
Town Supervisor Mike Hayes noted
that while interest had previously been
expressed to build a solar farm on St.
Andrews Road, the project on Lake Osiris
Road is “the only one right now.”
During the continuation of the public
hearing on the law last week, the board
discussed the issue of main concern to
Warden, namely the percentage of tree
clearing the new legislation would allow.
Supervisor Hayes explained to
the board that different options were
available, from grandfathering pending
projects to requiring that applicants
replace cleared acreage in excess of the
amount allowed in the law (plant trees
elsewhere on the property).
Warden requested that the board
consider grandfathering and also provide
a definition of woodlands, so that the law
was clear on what needed to be replaced.
“If it’s just brush, why would you
make them replace it?” asked Town
Councilwoman Sheryl Melick.
Continued on page 4
SERVING CRAWFORD, GARDINER, MAYBROOK, MONTGOMERY, PINE BUSH, SHAWANGUNK, WALDEN AND WALLKILL