‘I don’t want to walk away’ – Winery applicant makes final plea to North East Town Board

MILLERTON — TheNorth East Town Board met on Thursday, Oct. 9, for its regular meeting, which featured a packed agenda and emotional public comments from John King, who made a final plea for officials to reverse their decision to delay his application to amend Town Code 180-40. The amendment could have allowed King to add a country inn and event component to his planned winery on a 36-acre parcel on Smithfield Road near Route 22/44, providing what he called “necessary revenue streams” to sustain the business.

The board rejected King’s plea and, in a roll call vote, unanimously approved a resolution to discontinue his application “without prejudice to the Town Board’s future ability to bring it up.”

Although Supervisor Chris Kennan and the board spent months learning about King’s proposal and considering a code amendment, feedback from the Town Planning Board, the Conservation Advisory Council and zoning consultant Nan Stolzenburg ultimately led officials to delay any action until early 2026, when the town is scheduled to begin a comprehensive review of its residential and agricultural zoning districts. That process will follow the near completion of a years-long review of the commercial district, which has involved more than 100 meetings.

“If it gets delayed and we can’t do this now, I have to pull the plug,” said King. “Because I can’t wait for a lengthy process.” He asked the board to consider the economic boost and job opportunities a winery would provide.

“I don’t want to walk away from this project, and I hope the Town doesn’t want me to walk away and lose the opportunities it would create,” he added.

Still, the Board felt that the risks of a rushed code change outweighed the potential economic benefits, citing fears of increased traffic on Old Route 22 as well as questions surrounding the definitions and nuances of the state’s Agriculture and Markets Law. Kennan reminded King that “We’re not turning this down forever,” but reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to a process that ensures officials have all the information they need.

Councilwoman Meg Winkler noted, “People have been working so hard over these years — first on the Comprehensive Plan and then on the zoning review of our commercial district.” As chair of the housing committee, she said she has a vested interest in the upcoming review of the residential district but also recognizes the importance of taking things one step at a time. “This is a process that we’ve all been going through and respect a lot.”

During a second public comment period at the end of the meeting, King called the resolution “very inappropriate,” claiming it merged two amendments and made wedding events the focus, rather than country inns. He suggested that if the amendments had been considered separately, the outcome could have been different.

Planning Board member Bill Kish countered, noting, “You can make a very minor change and have a huge impact.” He added that zoning should not be written to suit a specific need, but rather to support the community. “I think you made the right decision in deciding to consider this in the context of the overall zoning,” he told the Board, “and not trying to take the language that was created — basically to save historic structures back in the 1980s — and change it to support a completely different use.”

Public hearing

set for 2026 budget

During the meeting, the Board also discussed the 2026 North East budget, which was submitted to the Town Clerk on Sept. 30. “We worked as hard as we could to create a budget under the cap — if it weren’t for the increased EMS costs, we would have come in under it,” said Supervisor Kennan. “We aimed to be very careful with taxpayer funds.”

The Board set a public hearing on the budget for Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Other business matters

In other news, Elizabeth Barrett was reappointed to the Board of Assessment Review, and the Town signed an intermunicipal agreement allowing the Millerton Police Department to park its vehicles in the Town’s highway garage until the new Village building is constructed.

The Board also voted to forward the list of properties in the Town of North East with unpaid water bills to Dutchess County, which will result in added fines on those property taxes next year.

The Town is beginning a feasibility study on installing solar panels at the highway garage, which was specifically designed to accommodate solar technology. A formal bidding process is expected to follow the study.

After a months-long review of IT companies, the Town signed a contract with PCA — Professional Computer Associates. “I’m excited to move forward,” said Councilwoman Meg Winkler, a core member of the IT task force.

Additionally, the Town renewed its annual contract with the North East Community Center to support its community programs. “The Town has been happy to support the North East Community Center — they do a lot of good work for our community,” Kennan said.

Upcoming events at the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex

A listening session will take place on Oct. 22 with the Dutchess County Transportation Council, which is updating the Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan to improve options for older adults, people with disabilities, low-income individuals and others who struggle to access reliable transportation. On Oct. 25, a Repair Cafe will be held, encouraging locals to meet makers and tinkerers who can help fix a wide variety of items.