Planning Board hears Silo Ridge conceptual plan changes during workshop session

AMENIA — With the goal of engaging with the Planning Board by describing potential short and long-term changes to the Silo Ridge Master Plan of Development, representatives of Silo Ridge led a workshop session at the regular meeting of the Planning Board on Wednesday, July 23.

An application currently under consideration and public hearing that will continue at the Planning Board’s Aug. 13 meeting would eliminate planning for 13 townhouse units, substituting 10 condominium units located on a single lot within the Silo Ridge development. The workshop session reviewed conceptual drawings showing potential future units and other amenities to enhance the future whole.

“We are seeking to work with the town in a constructive way,” said Silo Ridge President Saul Scherl as the workshop began. His comment echoed a similar statement offered at a September, 2024, Planning Board meeting at which administrative reorganization of Silo Ridge was announced. At that meeting, Scherl had spoken of working together with town officials to achieve goals.

Before introducing Patrick O’Leary, Silo Ridge consultant, to review the master plan, Scherl invited the Planning Board to arrange a visit and tour of the Silo Ridge community in the coming weeks. After the tour, Silo Ridge would continue with a series of workshop sessions with the board.

“We are seeking a method for agreeing to a system of planning units to avoid the need to return for plan modification approvals,” O’Leary explained.

Specificity was seen as key to progressing toward such an approval system in the view of Planning Board member Ken Topolsky.

Topolsky thanked the Silo Ridge administration for last winter’s opening of the skating rink to the community on selected days, for the new Silo Bakery recently opened in the town center, and the active engagement of Silo Ridge residents in the town’s efforts toward community development planning.

“These efforts are not going unnoticed,” Topolsky said.

Planning Board member James Walsh was seeking more representation of aesthetics in the conceptualized drawings, more horizontal views rather than overheads. O’Leary replied that such details would be presented following the workshops.

“We’re not expanding; we’re just moving pieces around,” O’Leary said in response to Walsh’s inquiry about provision for workforce housing. He added that there are no plans to house workers internally on site at Silo Ridge.