PUBLISHED: April 10, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.
TOWN OF ULSTER, N.Y. – A presentation of the proposed 30-unit Zena Homes project drew an audience of about 80 resolved opponents to hear plans from the representatives for two developers who are resolute in their effort to move forward with a ridgeline residential development.
The positions appeared even more entrenched when the half-hour explanation by Zena Development LLC concluded Tuesday during a town Planning Board meeting.
“We do want to build community support,” developer Evan Kleinberg said. “We are doing what we believe will benefit the community by building homes locally. So, we intend to engage the community much more.”
Kleinberg and co-developer Eddie Greenberg were in the front row of the Town Hall meeting room, with the pair acknowledging they were not paying attention to an audience behind them that complied when told by a town official told them not to wave their signs of opposition. For the developers, the evening was about being able to answer questions about septic systems, water services and emergency coverage.
“It was a good first step for us to…present to the Planning Board because we wanted them to hear about our plan from us and not from other third parties,” Kleinberg said.
The developers propose constructing the residential subdivision on 106.6 acres of undisturbed wild forest area with access via a 1,423-foot-long driveway from Eastwoods Drive over adjacent property they own in Woodstock. Kleinberg insists the project provides the region with housing that is desperately needed, but would not commit to saying whether the units would be market rate or have either affordable or workforce units.
“There’s a shortage of housing supply locally and regionally and nationally that’s impacting the affordability of homes,” he said. “So, adding homes when there’s a shortage will help to ease the pricing pressure.”
Opponents, who were not provided an opportunity to comment or ask questions during the meeting, seemed either unimpressed by the plans or even more determined to remind town officials of the development pressure that would be felt on an area treasured as a nourishing part of wildlife. Resident Karin Ursula said she had been asked by developers to “green wash” the site with modern practices to be environmentally sustainable and turned down the offer after determining it is unwise to try to improve on mother nature.
“I visited the site and it is stunningly beautiful,” she said. “It’s completely intact. When I was there in January it was around dusk…and I burst into tears. I could not imagine coming in and hearing the noises of the machines, taking the trees down, and literally destroying the pristine habitat and all the animals that are living there.”
Opponent Nian Fish said some of the details presented during the session made the project seem far worse than simply seeing the proposal on a site plan. She was also not satisfied with statements that impacts on the town of Woodstock would be addressed by the town of Ulster Planning Board.
“It concerned me with everything they were talking about,” she said. “All the individual wells, the electricity of all, it was supposed to be for (affordable) housing originally and that is not the case now…and most people who come to Woodstock don’t want to live in a suburb.”
Woodstock Land Conservancy Executive Director Andy Mossey was unconvinced by the presentation and was particularly interested in discussions about the subdivision being overseen by a homeowners association.
“None of this is beneficial and the development of an HOA is a really interesting take…because they are going to be collecting more fees and handing them to the town of Woodstock seems a bit heavy-handed to me,” he said.
Woodstock Land Conservancy owns property that abuts the project’s entire northern line of the Zena Homes site, and Mossey said the impact would be significant.
“Once they get in there, it’s all going to be a lot different than what they are writing down on a piece of paper right now,” he said.
Developers expect to move forward with the Ulster town approval process after getting clarification from Woodstock officials about the permits needed for the access road.