On February 24th, the Durst Corporation came to the Community Center to present their project in an informational town-wide meeting. Highlights of the plan include much more green space and land conservancy than the original plan, a trail system open to the public which would allow us to walk from downtown Pine Plains all the way to Lafayetteville, an Affordable Housing Fund to be administered by the Town Board for in-town housing, and the potential for numerous jobs associated with the building and maintenance of the development. The potential economic impact of the project was suggested, though there remains a discrepancy between this potential and both the forestry tax exemptions (upwards of $6,000,00) they have received, and their proposed use of common space, which may conflict with businesses already established in Pine Plains. They spoke of being open to hearing about all of these impacts and more. After describing the development to us in a powerpoint, they requested feedback on the following aspects of the proposal:
- Layout and design of the project
- Size of the project
- Variety of housing and lot sizes
- Proposed public benefits a) Are all of them useful/up-to-date? b) Are there changes to be considered? c) Do any raise potential difficulties? d) Are there different benefits or amenities which should be considered?
You can read the NND on our website under About Us/Development. Please send your comments to supervisor@pineplains-ny.gov for inclusion in a report to the Dursts which they will address at the next meeting on March 17th at 10:30 am at the Community Center.
