Amenia Town Board delays action on affordable housing at Spruce Hill

AMENIA — Based on opposition voiced by neighboring residents, the Amenia Town Board, at its meeting Thursday, Dec. 7, declined to move forward on a zone change request for the Spruce Hill neighborhood.

The zone change is being requested by Hudson River Housing (HRH) of Poughkeepsie in connection with an affordable housing project they have proposed for their 16-acre parcel at Spruce Hill; on Thursday, the Town Board declined to move the zone change request to the Planning Board for its consideration, effectively pausing the zone change until “more information” could be gathered.

Mary Linge, HRH vice president for real estate development and home ownership, presented a brief overview of the project that HRH is proposing. The zone  change would permit the multifamily units being proposed: preliminary plans for the Spruce Hill site include the building of seven affordable duplex units and one affordable seven-apartment building.

Attorney Ian MacDonald of Mackey, Butts and Whalen in Poughkeepsie, representing HRH, said that the affordable housing project would be “good for Amenia and all of Dutchess County.”

One of the adjacent neighbors, Salvatore La Rosa, voiced comments to the proposed zone change, indicating that he and his wife bought their home in 2022, expecting a quiet retirement in a scenic country setting.

La Rosa speculated that the recreational trail proposed by the developers would endanger the public because it would pass a former quarry that now contains a deep lake; that the entrance to the affordable housing complex, situated on a curve along Route 22, was dangerously sighted; that the common driveway to access Spruce Hill, which, according to current plans, would skirt La Rosa’s property, would create traffic flow problems; that a decision to accommodate HRH’s plan would lead to “spot zoning” because there are no contiguous parcels with the zoning designation being requested; that the septic system on the parcel would be uphill from neighbors’ properties; and that the 14 new housing units would require 42 additional post boxes at the Amenia post office, putting stress on available parking.

La Rosa’s comments were representative of other neighbors’ positions on the Spruce Hill project.

Charlie Miller, chairman of the Housing Board, spoke in support of the HRH plans for the property. 

HRH, a 40-year-old nonprofit, first proposed the development at a public forum on affordable housing in October 2022, at which residents met to discuss the need for affordable housing in Amenia.

Amenia currently has no affordable housing. The Housing Board is currently working with the town, hoping to develop what would become the town’s first unit of affordable housing, a single family home on Lake Amenia Road being considered for purchase by the town. The Wastewater Committee also hopes to locate a modern wastewater facility on land adjacent to that site.

Latest News

Haystack Festival brings literary minds to Norfolk

The Great Room at Norfolk Library filled to capacity for the Haystack Festival.

Jennifer Almquist

Just after noon on Sunday, Oct. 6, attendees of Norfolk Foundation’s Haystack Festival spilled out of the red Shingle Style Norfolk Library into brilliant October sunshine, emerging from the final book talk of the weekend (excepting an event for young readers later in the day). The talk, which was a conversation between horse experts journalist Sarah Maslin Nir and author David Chaffetz, was rife with equine puns and startling facts. The tongue-in-cheek use of the word “cavalier” brought laughs from the engaged audience, while Nir disclosed that horses eat for a full 16 hours a day.

The talk brought levity and humor to the festival’s conclusion, while also diving into the serious history of the relationship between society and horses. Chaffetz explained horses were fundamental in the formation of large empires: “We don’t see empires until horses became fundamental to the political state.” Nir elaborated that the “wild” horses in North America are not native, but feral horses descended from animals brought by Spanish imperialists. “No tea grows in England,” she explained, “it is the result of empire – and so are horses.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Project SAGE's solemn vigil

"The Red Sand Project" is intended to draw attention to often overlooked domestic violence issues in the Northwest Corner.

Natalia Zukerman

To mark the start of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Project SAGE held its annual community vigil on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at Community Field in Lakeville. Project SAGE is a community-focused organization dedicated to supporting, advocating, guiding and educating victims of relationship violence through a range of services and outreach programs.

A large group of people gathered quietly in the center of the field where they were handed packets of red sand. Red Sand Project, created by artist and activist Molly Gochman, is a participatory artwork that uses sidewalk interventions and earthwork installations to encourage people to reflect, connect, and take action against the vulnerabilities that contribute to human trafficking, modern slavery, and exploitation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Northwest Corner artists unite for Clay Way Tour Oct. 19-20

Pottery of all sorts will be on display at the Clay Way Tour, featuring 26 area artists.

Provided

Now in its 8th year, The Clay Way Studio Tour is an annually held event featuring some of Connecticut’s best potters. Twenty six artists will show their work among nine studios.

The Tour takes place in Litchfield County Connecticut and Wingdale, New York Oct.19 and 20 from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Potter and organizer Jane Herald explained the origin of the tour.

Keep ReadingShow less