Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.
government

Amenia hears revisions to Keane Stud subdivision plan

Amenia hears revisions to Keane Stud subdivision plan
Amenia Town Hall on Route 22.
Photo by John Coston

AMENIA — Continuing the process of developing subdivision plans for the Keane Stud acreage, the Planning Board heard a report from the planning engineers detailing a few plan changes at its regular meeting on Wednesday, April 9.

Representing Rennia Engineers, Senior Planner Peter Sander detailed plans for the parcel that stands in two zones: Rural Agricultural and Rural Residential, both requiring minimum lots of 5 acres.

Sander reported that two parcels have been removed from the planning, reducing the acreage from 704 to 605 total acres. The number of lots has been reduced from 27 to 23.

“We’ve enhanced the building envelopes,” Sander noted, having considered concerns about protecting the viewshed. Accordingly, 90% of each parcel will be reserved for conservation; 10% will be able to be built upon, Sander said.

The plans include a no vertical build zone in the area visible from Delavergne Hill, Sander said, adding that deed restrictions will limit the scale of development on each parcel.

Commenting on the plan changes, planning board engineer John Andrews asked that the plan drawings detail the outlined changes to agree with written submissions.

Sander said that the developer is asking for board input as well as comments from George Janes, the town’s visual resources consultant.

One of the visible impacts is the greenery or vegetative screening around each future home, board member Jamie Vitiello commented.

Covenant requirements are important in each instance, Andrews responded, citing lighting, building materials, and plantings that can be specified.

“The visuals flow from the deed restrictions,” Andrews said, noting that each building site plan will need to be considered by the planning board.

Board member Ken Topolsky asked about the permanence of the deed restrictions.

Andrews replied that when properly done, the restrictions run with the land, unless there are agreed-upon amendments. He added that the town will be a party to any such agreement.

“We want to listen to the Planning Board,” said owner-developer Juan Torres. He added that a footprint guide has been sketched on the plans for each future home with the height of each home restricted to between 21 and 28 feet, a protection against visibility. Plans have also specified a maximum amount of impervious surface on each sketched lot.

“If a future buyer wants to build a home, they will need to come before the Planning Board,” Torres noted. “This will help to ensure that the land remains agricultural into the future,” Torres added.

The Planning Board will continue discussion of the revised plans at its next meeting on Wednesday, April 23.

Leila Hawken
government

Latest News

Eric Alexander wins County Legislature reelection campaign

Eric Alexander wins County Legislature reelection campaign

County Legislator Eric Alexander leads a meeting of the Dutchess County Legislature's Public Safety Committee on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Alexander represents the towns of Amenia, Washington, the Village of Millbrook and a portion of the Town of Pleasant Valley

Photo by Aly Morrissey

Democratic candidates made gains and held ground across Northern Dutchess County in elections on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

County Legislator Eric Alexander has retained his seat after winning against Republican challenger Stefanie Hubert. As of 10:15 p.m., Alexander had secured 56.8% of the vote.

Keep ReadingShow less
elections

A Halloween scream with David Arquette

A Halloween scream with David Arquette

David Arquette, left, talks with moderator Victor Dandridge during “Behind the Scream” at the Warner Theatre in Torrington on Oct. 31.

D.H. Callahan

This December marks the 30th anniversary of Wes Craven’s “Scream,” one of the most influential movies in horror history. On Saturday, Oct. 31, David Arquette, one of the film’s stars, came to the Warner Theatre in Torrington for a Halloween screening and conversation billed as “Behind the Scream.”

“Scream” was met with critical praise when it premiered in 1996, with many noting its satirical, self-aware look at the horror genre without the usual trappings of camp or kitsch. Featuring a cast of mid-1990s A-listers including Drew Barrymoore, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Liev Schreiber, Neve Campbell and “Friends” star Courteney Cox, the movie was destined to be part of the cinematic zeitgeist.

Keep ReadingShow less
film

After 30 years, Dave Jones is shifting into lower gear

After 30 years, Dave Jones is shifting into lower gear


Now, 30 years later and in his late 60s, Jones is at the point in his life where he’s ‘figuring out how to land the plane.’

My husband and I first met Dave Jones in 2019, after we’d just moved into our house in Lakeville, a former auto repair garage with 14-foot-high ceilings that had been renovated into a residence. One day, when we woke up to a dead car battery, we called Lakeville Automotive, the nearest repair shop. Jones answered the phone a bit gruffly but then surprised us by showing up in half an hour to jump-start our car. We invited him inside for coffee, and looking around, he said with a grin that for 10 years, back in the day, he’d stored his Mazda Miata right in our living room.

Keep ReadingShow less
our community
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

A different kind of neighborhood bar

A different kind of neighborhood bar

Ryan Andrade brings his passion for inventive cocktails and neighborhood hospitality to Le Bar in Sharon.

D.H. Callahan

When Ryan Andrade moved back to the Tri-Corner region during the pandemic, he wasn’t looking to create a new kind of neighborhood bar. But by the time he connected with Robert Arbor of Le Gamin in Sharon, his vision was clear. In May, they brought that vision to life at a revitalized Le Bar.

Andrade grew up around Millerton, attending the Webutuck High School before heading to Western New England University, where he studied psychology. He’d been slinging coffee since high school but didn’t catch the cocktail bug until managing a cafe at the SoHo Grand Hotel, which, thanks to an international clientele accustomed to different time zones, had a morning bar service. It was there that Andrade discovered the seemingly infinite possibilities of the cocktail world. While there was only so much one could do with coffee, learning about the potential for cocktails, with their shelves and cabinets of curious ingredients, had Andrade feeling like a kid in a candy shop. It wasn’t long before he was seeking out mentors to teach him the industry secrets required of an innovative mixologist.

Keep ReadingShow less
business

Gretchen M. Studio opens in Salisbury

Gretchen M. Studio opens in Salisbury

Grethen Mol at her new studio in Salisbury.

Natalia Zukerman

The keys are hanging from the lock when Gretchen Mol comes to greet me at her new studio on Academy Street in Salisbury. The door is open, and so, it turns out, is she. Mol has the easy familiarity of someone you’ve known for years. And in a sense, you have.

The actress, known for her roles in “Boardwalk Empire,” “The Notorious Bettie Page” and, most recently, “Tulsa King,” is opening Gretchen M. Studio, a creative space and showroom for her small-batch clothing line, with an open house Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7.

Keep ReadingShow less
business

Harvesting experimental sounds at Hungry Reaper Farm

Harvesting experimental sounds at Hungry Reaper Farm

Hungry Reaper Farm founders and managers Will O’Meara and Jill Verzino

D.H. Callahan

On Saturday afternoon, Nov. 7, the farmers at Hungry Reaper Farm in Morris, Connecticut, will host the first concert at their new outdoor venue, The Three Hickeries, smack in the middle of a beautiful field on their farm.

Farm co-founders and co-managers Will O’Meara and Jill Verzino have always been interested in independent means of production. On the farm, that means growing organic produce on a small scale with a big impact. Their crops feed folks from Bridgeport, where Verzino runs a farmers market on Saturdays, all the way over to Millerton, where their vegetables can be found at Tri Corner FEED Market, the community-minded grocery store offering locally sourced food on a sliding scale.

Keep ReadingShow less
concerts
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.