Amenia Planning Board approves amended site plan for Silo Ridge condos

Amenia Town Hall
Photo by John Coston
AMENIA — Following months of consideration, the Planning Board at its regular meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 27, approved changes to the Silo Ridge site plan that will substitute ten condominium units for the originally planned 13 townhouse units.
The vote was unanimous from the Planning Board members who were present. Absent from the meeting were chairman Robert Boyles, Jr. and member Lyzzette Bullock. Member Jamie Vitiello was present, but he abstained from the vote due to his work with Silo Ridge management.
Terming the site plan change a “minor modification,” Silo Consultant Patrick O’Leary said there is no visual impact to the change. The townhouse lots will be combined into a single lot upon which the condos will stand.
“We’ve worked through the workforce housing issues, leaving the matter to Planning Board Attorney Paul Van Cctt, O’Leary said.
Van Cott explained that the workforce housing law was revised in 2023, and that the application to change the site plan needed to comply with the new law.
The Town Board and Silo Ridge have reached an agreement on the applicability of the law in regard to a required fee schedule, Van Cott said, referring to the law’s provision for payment of a fee to the town in lieu of providing workforce housing for a development the size of Silo Ridge.
The Planning Board has the responsibility for establishing the fee schedule, Van Cott said, adding that the Planning Board must also acknowledge that the fee schedule needs to be provided.
“The Planning Board is not in the middle of this; it is a Town Board matter,” Van Cott said. “Submission of a revised fee schedule will settle the matter.”
Discussion continued about the Siland Recreational Facility being developed within an area adjacent to Route 22 in the southeastern acreage adjacent to the Silo Ridge development.
Town Engineer John Andrews indicated that the proposed changes to the plans are minor with no proposed changes in use. In effect, Andrews said, the developer is taking elements that were outdoors and moving them indoors, in a phased plan.
“This is still a recreational facility,” Andrews said, adding that if there is no substantial change in use, the planning board can approve the change in plans without a public hearing, although that is a decision for the Planning Board.
A new environmental impact review must be provided, Andrews noted.
The Planning Board agreed to direct Siland to prepare a detailed response to the discussion.
Silo Ridge continued review of its Master Plan of Development as part of a series of workshops at Planning Board meetings. A public tour of the Silo Ridge property was held on Monday, Aug. 18, attended by most Planning Board members and a few members of the public.
O’Leary’s detailed Master Plan review, or which the tour was a key element, is intended to inform the Planning Board about future plans for development within the Silo Ridge community.
Continuing work to create a visual impact analysis in connection with plans to develop the Keane Stud acreage, visible from DeLaVergne Hill, was reviewed by George Janes, the board’ visual consultant who is coordinating with the developer on behalf of the board.
Recent meetings have sought procedural clarification in the preparation of a “reasonable worst case scenario with variations” and the creation of a model representation, Janes reported. The developer is also seeking to identify local comparable properties, with plans to take photographs in November to show late fall views of the Keane Stud acreage.
Once the model is created, the Planning Board will be able to review it, Janes said.
On Saturday, Sept. 6, from 12 to 5 p.m., Rock Steady Farm in Millerton opens its fields once again for the third annual Farm Fall Block Party, a vibrant, heart-forward gathering of queer and BIPOC farmers, neighbors, families, artists, and allies from across the Hudson Valley and beyond.
Co-hosted with Catalyst Collaborative Farm, The Watershed Center, WILDSEED Community Farm & Healing Village, and Seasoned Delicious Foods, this year’s party promises its biggest celebration yet. Part harvest festival, part community reunion, the gathering is a reflection of the region’s rich agricultural and cultural ecosystem.
Rooted in justice and joy, the event will feature over 25 local vendors and organizations, live performances, healing workshops, family-friendly activities (yes, there’s a bouncy castle), and abundant local food. And while the festivities are certainly reason enough to show up, organizers remind us the purpose runs deeper.
“This isn’t just a party. It’s a place to build the kind of relationships that keep our food system alive,” said Maggie Cheney, Rock Steady’s co-founder and worker-owner. “We’re creating space where farmers, growers, families, and community organizers can connect, celebrate, and support one another.”
Proceeds from the event support Rock Steady’s POLLINATE program for queer and trans BIPOC beginning farmers, as well as Catalyst Collaborative Farm’s food justice initiatives. With sliding-scale tickets from $5 to $250, the organizers aim to make the event accessible to all, including free entry for children under 12 and volunteer options for those who want to pitch in.
For those who’ve attended before, it’s a welcome return. For newcomers, it may just feel like coming home.
More info and tickets: rocksteadyfarm.com/farm-block-party
Waterlily (8”x12”) made by Marilyn Hock
It takes a lot of courage to share your art for the first time and Marilyn Hock is taking that leap with her debut exhibition at Sharon Town Hall on Sept. 12. A realist painter with a deep love for wildlife, florals, and landscapes, Hock has spent the past few years immersed in watercolor, teaching herself, failing forward, and returning again and again to the page. This 18-piece collection is a testament to courage, practice and a genuine love for the craft.
“I always start with the eyes,” said Hock of her animal portraits. “That’s where the soul lives.” This attentiveness runs through her work, each piece rendered with care, clarity, and a respect for the subtle variations of color and light in the natural world.
After painting in oils earlier in life, Hock returned to art when she retired from working as a paralegal with a goal: to learn watercolor. It wasn’t easy.
“Oils and watercolor are opposites,” she explained. “With oils, you build your darks first. In watercolor, if you do that, you’re in trouble.” She studied online, finding instructors whose approach clicked, and adapted to the delicacy of the medium.
“When I’m working, everything else falls away,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on in life. While I’m painting, time disappears.”
Her studio, formerly a home office, is now her sanctuary and the pieces in this exhibition are the result of three years of that devoted studio work. While this is her first full public show, Hock previously tested the waters at a small fundraiser at Noble Horizons, where one of her pieces sold. That experience — and the consistent encouragement from her family, especially her husband — pushed her to pursue a full exhibition. With gentle encouragement from her husband and family, Hock reached out to the Town Hall’s curator, Zelina Blagden. “My husband kept saying, ‘You’re as good as all those other people out there, why not show your work?’” And so, here it is.
All paintings in the show are for sale, though Hock admits a few are priced high — not because of their size or complexity — but because she’s not quite ready to let them go. “There are a couple I’ve priced high because I’m not sure I want to part with them. But we’ll see,” she laughed. “It would be nice to support the habit a little bit.”
As for aspiring artists or anyone hesitating to begin something creative, Hock’s advice is simple: “Go for it. If it fails, toss it in the basket and start over.”
The exhibit will be on view at Sharon Town Hall through Oct. 31 with an opening reception on Sept. 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Carissa Unite, general manager of Oblong Books in Millerton.
Carissa Unite of Millerton, began working at Oblong Books 16 years ago as a high schooler. She recently celebrated her eight-year anniversary as the general manager.
Unite’s journey at Oblong began even before she applied for her first position.An avid reader from a young age, she was a frequent customer at the store. During those years, Unite bonded with a former employee who encouraged her to apply for a position after connecting over their shared love of reading.
As a teenager, Unite enjoyed reading Ellen Hopkins, John Green and Ann Brashares. With the busyness of adulthood, she now favors the convenience of audio books. In the past year, however, she has made it a point to read more physical books.
With a preference for contemporary fiction, she raved about “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The story, set in the 1980s, follows two women who become astronauts at a time when women were not widely accepted in the field. A beautiful love story emerges between the two characters. Unite described the writing as sensational and commended Reid’s ability to tackle complex themes without them being muddied.
Unite has developed a deep appreciated for classic literature. Her two favorites are “Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin and “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde. She was amazed by the philosophical nature of both words and the way their dialogue challenged her perspective.
In an effort to read beyond her preferred genre, she recommends the following:
“Some Desperate Glory,” by Emily Tesh, “Midnight Rooms,” by Donyae Coles and “Clear” by Carys Davies.
For Unite, the beauty of reading lies in its power to develop perspective, empathy, and compassion. Through books, readers learn that everyone is fighting different battles and no two stories are the same. She encourages people to choose kindness because you never know what someone else is facing.
Above all, reading brings Unite peace. If offers transcendence to another world, a pause from outside noise, and for Unite, it is where she feels most at home.
For anyone hesitant to being reading, Unite suggests: just do it! Read 10 pages a day and find the book that speaks to you. Any Oblong staff member would be happy to offer recommendations.
Oblong is located at 26 Main St., in Millerton and 6422 Montgomery St. in Rhinebeck.