Planning Board schedules Troutbeck public hearing and hears site plan change for Silo Ridge

Troutbeck's sign along the side of Route 343 in the town of Amenia.
Photo by John Coston
Troutbeck's sign along the side of Route 343 in the town of Amenia.
AMENIA — Following a report on the plans for Phase 8 of the adaptive reuse plan submitted by Troutbeck, the Planning Board at its meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 23, voted unanimously to schedule a public hearing to be held on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
Reviewing the Troutbeck plan, Engineer Rich Rennia of Rennia Engineering of Dover Plains explained that Phase 8 would see “a small rearrangement of components.” An indoor pool to be enclosed within a pole barn will be connected with the wellness area. A small bathhouse containing rest rooms is also planned.
A net reduction in impact will result from the rearrangement, Rennia said, including reduction in wastewater generation by 240 gallons and lowered water demands.
“There is no increase to the overall project,” Rennia said, although minimal lighting will be added for pedestrian safety.
Planning Board engineer John Andrews indicated, although a health department approval is needed, he had reviewed the overall plans and found that the application is ready for public hearing. Planning Board attorney Paul Van Cott agreed, clearing the way for the board to schedule the December public hearing.
Citing a change in demographics since the existing Silo Ridge master plan was approved by the town in 2020, representatives of Silo Ridge reported to the Planning Board indicating an interest in changing two planned three-story town house structures into three-story condominium buildings to be designated on the plans as Condos D and E.
The existing approved master plan shows 245 units. No new units would result from the change.
Engineer Andrews indicated that the townhouses totaling ten units divided evenly between two buildings would have had fee-simple ownership. The change would bring condominium ownership structure.
Under fee-simple, the townhouse owner would own both the land and the building on the land. On the other hand, a condo owner owns only the condo, while the land belongs to a condo association in which the owner is considered a shareholder.
“Administratively, there are a lot of steps needed,” Andrews said, adding that although the project has changed, he felt the changes were insignificant. He noted that the Silo Ridge Design Review Committee will need to sign off on the proposed change from townhouse to condo.
To Planning Board member Ken Topolsky’s inquiry into progress on providing the board with a Silo Ridge organizational chart, O’Leary assured the board that the chart is being worked on, along with an updated progress report on the status of construction of the Silo Ridge development as a whole.
Members of the Planning Board praised the Silo Ridge Masters Show Jumping Competition held in early October at Keane Stud on Depot Hill Road, noting that the world’s top riders were attracted to compete in the four-day event. The benefit to the town of Amenia was measurable.
Keane Stud owner Juan Torres told the Planning Board that he is working on design of a new site plan for the Depot Hill area acreage to be submitted for the board’s consideration before the end of this year.
“We believe that our goals are more aligned with the community,” Torres said, adding that the aim is to protect the woods, land, habitats and natural amenities, goals outlined in the town’s Comprehensive Plan of Development.
Architect Nicole Emmons, of Hart, Howerton Architects of New York City, asked the Planning Board to describe their concerns on behalf of the town when thinking of Keane Stud Farm’s future.
Reading directly from the town’s Comprehensive Plan of Development, planning board member Topolsky said that the document guides the board’s vision.
“This is the voice of Amenia,” Topolsky said, noting that the plan emphasizes repeatedly that Depot Hill is one of the town’s most scenic features. He stressed the importance of protecting the viewshed.
Planning Board chairman Robert Boyles, who also serves the Wassaic Fire Company as Captain, mentioned a need for fire protection ponds as water sources, as well as voicing concern about runoff drainage toward properties located downhill from Depot Hill.
Board member James Vitiello said it would be important for the planners to arrive at a proposal that would be visually appealing.
“We have to turn to you, as a designer, to design something that doesn’t just maximize the dollar value but to find something the town can be comfortable with,” Vitiello advised.
“Our goal is to work together,” Torres said.
George Janes, the town’s visual resources consultant, said that he was in agreement with the concept of 10-acre agricultural parcels as initially described.
“What makes the Depot Hill viewshed special is its present agricultural landscape,” Janes said.
“You’re subdividing, not developing,” he pointed out to Torres.
Discussion included the role of deed restrictions in limiting the eventual development of each 10-acre piece by those who will purchase them.
Board member John Stefanopoulos indicated the possibility that parcels can be developed in ways that will blend with the scenery and add value, constrained by deed restrictions written correctly.
“The Planning Board is not going to design it for you,” Janes told Torres and Emmons, suggesting that they find guidance within the town’s comprehensive plan.
Before the Planning Board adjourned, Wassaic resident Sharon Kroeger provided notice of a petition gathering signatures intended to preserve and protect the Delavergne Hill viewshed that includes Depot Hill.
Planning Board members granted a waiver to the proposed cannabis dispensary located in the historic weigh station on Route 82 allowing the business to operate within 300 feet of the firehouse and the Post Office in contradiction with Pine Plains's local law. Town attorney Warren Replansky explained the town's codes would likely be unenforceable following legal decisions handed down by the Office of Cannabis Management on Monday, Oct. 6.
PINE PLAINS — Members of the Planning Board voted unanimously to grant a waiver to Upstate Pines allowing the cannabis dispensary to operate within 300 feet of the firehouse and the Post Office at their regular meeting Wednesday, Oct. 8.
That vote came after Planning Board attorney Warren Replansky explained recent state guidance superceded the town’s ability to restrict the business on the grounds of its proximity to the Post Office and the firehouse.
Approval of the dispensary itself was not yet granted, and the public hearing will be continued at the Wednesday, Nov. 12, meeting of the Planning Board.
Replansky explained an advisory opinion handed down on Monday, Oct. 6, from the state government and the Office of Cannabis Management clarified that municipalities may only legally restrict a nonmedical cannabis dispensary’s distance to a “public youth facility,” defined as a publicly accessible space with the primary purpose of providing services to children.
“So that might’ve saved you a bit of time,” Planning Board Chair Michael Stabile said to the applicants following Replansky’s remarks.
Next steps for the project now require the applicants to undergo State Environmental Quality Review, a standard process that most major development projects are required to follow.
Planning Board members, Replansky and the applicants also discussed parking and traffic control plans after receiving input from Dutchess County Planners that requested more specific information about the potential future uses on the site including a grocery store and an ice cream shop.
County planners wanted to see a detailed description of the scope of all future uses to limit the possibility of segmentation, which is when a project is proposed and completed in vague phases that inhibit the full environmental review process.
Also on the agenda was a resolution to allow construction of a small house at 441 Carpenter Hill Road and the approval of a site plan for ground-mounted solar panels in the backyard of a residence at 560 Carpenter Hill Road. Board members approved the resolution for the small house and accepted the site plan for the solar panels, setting a public hearing on the matter for Wednesday, Nov. 12.
Dozens of people crowded into the courthouse at the Washington Town Hall on Reservoir Drive in Millbrook on Tuesday, Oct. 7, to watch a pre-application meeting between Planning Board members and representatives of Centaur Properties LLC. David Blatt and Henry Hay of Centaur Properties LLC described their plan to build an 18-hole golf course with limited membership and residences on the historic 2,000-acre Hitchcock estate.
"This is nothing like Silo Ridge," said Centaur Properties co-founder Henry Hay. "This is Buckingham Palace to a craphouse. It's completely different. It's much higher quality."
MILLBROOK — Dozens of residents of the Town of Washington packed into the courtroom in Town Hall on Reservoir Drive for a standing-room-only regular meeting of the Planning Board on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
Well over three-quarters of the crowd were there to listen in to a pre-application meeting between Planning Board members and representatives of Centaur Properties LLC, a New York City-based development company that’s proposing an 18-hole golf course, equestrian facilities and luxury residential development on the 2,000-acre Hitchcock estate.
A pre-application meeting, Planning Board Chair Susan Meaney explained before beginning the discussion, allows developers or anyone with a potential project to meet with the Planning Board and ask questions about the planning and zoning process prior to submitting an application.
“This is not a public hearing,” Meaney said. “That doesn’t mean that you can’t let your voices be heard. If you have opinions about what gets said here tonight or what the potential proposal might be you can certainly write letters to the Planning Board.”
Henry Hay and David Blatt are the men behind Centaur Properties’ proposal for the Hitchcock estate. Blatt began the discussion by expressing his and Hay’s desire to have an open dialogue with the community.
“It goes without saying this is an incredible piece of property — an incredibly large piece of property,” Blatt said. “It deserves a responsible and thoughtful steward and our hope is that we can bring that level of stewardship that the property deserves and the level of attention to detail and care that this property needs.”
Following was a description of the project centered around an 18-hole golf course that Blatt and Hay said was essential to the development.
“Our ideas on our project are to create a world class golf course, clubhouse — limited membership,” Blatt said.
Additionally, the developers expressed a desire to construct a spa, equestrian facilities, trails, housing and to conserve a portion of the estate.
Planning Board members then began a back-and-forth with the developers, asking the two men for more specific details about their proposal. One of Meaney’s first questions centered around private membership.
“We’re going to have a very, very small membership,” Hay said. “Maybe 300 people.”
That response prompted board member Nicole Drury to clarify if the proposal is more akin to a private golf club or a gated luxury housing development of the likes of the Discovery Land Company’s Silo Ridge Field Club in Amenia — a gated luxury subdivision in Amenia with an 18-hole golf course and other amenities.
“This is nothing like Silo Ridge,” Hay said in response. “This is Buckingham Palace to a craphouse. It’s completely different. It’s much higher quality.”
Later on in the meeting, Planning Board member Eric Alexander again drew comparisons between Centaur’s proposal and the nearby Silo Ridge Field Club in Amenia, which he called a “bad situation for that community.” He cited a perception of exclusivity within the luxury housing development that has put off the surrounding Amenia community.
But Hay wouldn’t elaborate on the distinctions between the Hitchcock estate proposal and Silo Ridge Field Club. "This is nothing like Silo Ridge," Hay maintained. "We don't want that."
Environmental conservation was central to the board members’ concerns, prompting conflicting responses from Blatt and Hay about the amount of open space that will be left after development.
“At least 50%,” Hay said before Blatt cut him off.
“I think 25 to 50% is kind of a good estimate,” Blatt said, correcting his colleague. “We would love to put aside as much as possible.”
The pre-application meeting ended shortly after input from the Planning Board’s attorney, Hannah Atkinson of Van DeWater & Van DeWater out of Poughkeepsie, and Meaney that not much more could be said about the proposal until something concrete has been submitted to the board.
“There’s a code so you can be working within the framework of what’s expected in these different zones,” Atkinson said of the town’s zoning code, and urged the developers to read the code and use it and the town’s comprehensive plan to guide them in designing the project. “You’re not going to be 180 degrees off what the board is expecting if you follow the provisions of the code.”
As of press time, the sale of the Hitchcock estate has not been finalized. The property was listed for sale in Summer 2024 for $75 million.
Built in 1820, 1168 Bangall Amenia Road sold for $875,000 on July 31 with the transfer recorded in August. It has a Millbrook post office and is located in the Webutuck school district.
STANFORD — The Town of Stanford with nine transfers in two months reached a median price in August of $573,000 for single family homes, still below Stanford’s all-time median high in August 2024 of $640,000.
At the beginning of October there is a large inventory of single-family homes listed for sale with only six of the 18 homes listed for below the median price of $573,000 and seven above $1 million.
July transfers
79 Ernest Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 6.87 acres in 2 parcels sold to Matthew C. Marinetti for $1,225,000.
29 Drake Road — 3 bedroom/3.5 bath home on 2 acres sold to Harper Montgomery for $850,000.
6042 Route 82 — 4 bedroom/2 bath home on 1.09 acres sold to Spencer Thompson for $795,000.
125 Tick Tock Way — 3 bedroom/2.5 bath ranch on 1.9 acres sold to Fleur Touchard for $475,000.
August transfers
102 Prospect Hill Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on 6.35 acres sold to Karl Creighton Pfister for $565,000.
252 Ernest Road — 2 bedroom/1 bath cottage on .85 acres sold to Meg Bumie for $465,000.
1196 Bangall Amenia Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 2.16 acres sold to Roderick Alleyne for $875,000.
Hunns Lake Road (#759929) — 59.1 acres of residential land sold to Argos Farm LLC for $3,325,000.
* Town of Stanford recorded real estate transfers from July 1 to August 31 provided by Dutchess County Real Property Office monthly transfer reports. Details on each property from Dutchess Parcel Access - properties with an # indicate location on Dutchess Parcel Access. Market data from One Key MLS and Infosparks .Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Advisor with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in Connecticut and New York.
Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Harlem Valley area activity reportSept. 18 to Sept. 30.
Sept. 23 — Deputies responded to 1542 State Route 292 in the Town of Pawling for the report of a suspicious vehicle at that location. Investigation resulted in the arrest of Sebastian Quiroga, age 26, for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the third degree. Quiroga to appear in the Town of Pawling court at a later date.
Sept. 30 — Deputies responded to Woodside Street in the Town of Pine Plains for a past-occurred verbal domestic dispute between a stepfather and stepson.Matter resolved without further police intervention.
PLEASE NOTE:All subjects arrested and charged are alleged to have committed the crime and are presumed innocent until proven guilty and are to appear in local courts later.
If you have any information relative to the aforementioned criminal cases, or any other suspected criminal activity please contact the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 845-605-CLUE (2583) or Emaildcsotips@gmail.com.All information will be kept confidential.