"This is a project that will have a tremendous impact."
- Tom Horton, CEO Canopy Development

IMPACT: THE ENVIRONMENT - OUR AQUIFER, THE GEOLOGY AND WILDLIFE

• Canopy/HRVR states that they are an environmentally friendly organization, but the type of over-development that's being discussed causes alarm. Also, Canopy has not completed a project to date, so they offer no track record as reference, only verbal assurances that they keep their promises, and do the right thing.
• How will our local water supply be affected by development on this aquifer? Canopy/HRVR predicts that the development's water use and subsequent treatment will near 160,000 gallons a day. Williams Lake Hotel used about 17,000 gallons a day. Canopy's plan represents a 900% increase from that long-established level.
• Will the many and various wetlands be disturbed? Yes.

• What assurance is there that the wildlife will be protected? Bald eagles, cricket frogs and Indiana bats are endangered species that call this habitat home.
  msnbc.com 02/14/08: Mysterious "white nose syndrome" spreads to endangered Indiana Bats in caves of Williams Lake
• Blasting with dynamite in the proximity of bat hibernaculum? Yes.
• How many million metric tons of earth will be moved to put homes in the midst of caves, sink holes and wetlands?
• Will Williams Lake be excavated or otherwise altered? Yes.
• How will runoff be controlled?
• What plans are being made to minimize erosion of the topsoil?
• What plans are being made to prevent the destruction of trees? How many trees will be removed?
• Will homes be built on the ridge north of Williams Lake? Yes.
• Will houses be built around the lakes? Yes.
• Will houses be built across Binnewater road, west of Williams Lake, bordering the wetland habitat of the endangered Northern Cricket Frog? Yes.
• Will houses be built over sinkholes and caves? Yes, their map shows that they will.
• How and where will all the sewage be treated?
• How will the natural temperature fluctuations of the surface water in the wetlands be maintained if 160,000 gallons of treated wastewater is discharged into them on a daily basis?
• How long will it take before the lakes and the entire Binnewater aquifer becomes an unnatural, circular system of treated water?
• Will individual homeowner's wells downstream go dry? And if so, what recourse would they have?
• Noise and light pollution: How many parking lots and walkways will need to be lighted? Where will the many delivery trucks and service vehicles be routed?
• Will the lakes be closed to fishing? Yes.
• Will historically important artifacts on the property remain undisturbed?
• Will there be local access to the trails for mountain-biking, cross-country skiing and hiking?
• Will the current cross-country trails be turned into roads for access to houses? Some.
• Can common sense predict the real long-term effect on wildlife if this development adds scores of homes scattered throughout an open, sensitive, natural habitat?
• Where will the parking areas for this enormous project be sited? On adjacent acquisitions?
• How exactly will public access be restricted - by both natural barriers and with walls or fences in spots?
• How will the movement of wildlife be restricted by the scale and density of the resort and housing units and subdivisions?
• Does the community we want these lakes and trails removed from local life in perpetuity, to exist no more as a community asset but only as a gated destination for the wealthy?
• Are profit-driven corporate entities the proper and preferred custodians of natural beauty, or is conservation the role of local people who have cherished their surroundings for generations, and have a stake in their future and the future of their children and grandchildren?

IMPACT: TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS - WISHFUL THINKING

• Not likely. Some public officials have stated that wealthy clients from the spa and gated community will come into the village to shop and go to restaurants and will thereby revitalize the village. No empirical support for this assumption exists. In fact, such assumptions by town officials do not fit the destination spa/resort business plan, nor the reality of such a visit for guests, who seek isolation and peace and quiet, not tourism. Forays out of such a spa are scripted and escorted, for events like a round of golf or a mountain hike. Gourmet meals are provided at the spa, as well as sack lunches for outings.
• The point of Miraval Living - as illustrated in the spa-lifestyle apartment building being developed on Manhattan's East Side - is that an upscale, controlled environment is the goal. Members - the resort homeowners - buy into the lifestyle with yearly dues and fees totaling many thousands of dollars. Don't expect them to regularly come to town for an ice cream.
• Plans include seasonal organic gardens on the spa grounds, so our local growers do not stand to benefit, either.
• Rosendale needs revitalization, but there is scant evidence to support the idea that a gated resort will benefit the surrounding community and our quality of life. Often, the promise of trickle-down renewal proves hollow. While different in kind, Atlantic City, New Jersey, is a case in point: its up-market resorts and casinos stand - after a generation - surrounded by economic and social devastation. Promises fueled big hopes there, too.
• The experience of small towns struggling with corporate ski station/real estate developments in the western states should serve as a warning to Rosendale and the region. Click to preview the film RESORTING TO MADNESS which describes in detail the difficulties that communities have had containing big-money developers once they establish themselves.
  FURTHER READING: "Downhill Slide: Why The Corporate Ski Industry is Bad for Skiing, Ski Towns and the Environment" by Hal Clifford, Sierra Club Books, S.F., 2003
• Even in the unlikely event that spa clients and resort homeowners would regularly leave the "fortress" to shop and dine - remember, both shopping and dining would be included in their spa package - is the type of downtown that Rosendale needs one with restaurants and gift emporiums catering to this group?
• Who will be the lead contractor on the development, and what is their record in hiring local sub-contractors and laborers? Canopy did not hire a local fence company to erect the chain link fence around the property even though a fence company is located in Rosendale! Is that a clear signal?
• Building a luxurious spa is a specialized field, so expect the bulk of the work to be done by outside firms with a proven track record and experience.
• A Planning Board member has reported that Canopy stated they will be building employee housing and the ratio would be as high as 4 or 5 employees for every guest - meaning, many hundreds of contract employees. But why build housing unless it is presumed that local people will not be hired in significant numbers?
• This project could bring upwards of 600 new people to Rosendale: 450 workers and 200 wealthy residents. This conservative estimate represents about a 10% increase in Rosendale's population.
• Canopy has stated that they will be glad to hire "qualified" local people, meaning local people with world-class spa/services/hotel-management resumes. Presumably, there might be a few low-paying openings in grounds-keeping and maintenance. Also, mini-van drivers will probably be needed to take spa guests to carefully selected destinations.

IMPACT: UPWARD PRESSURE ON TAXES THROUGH INCREASING PROPERTY VALUES, A POTENTIAL 10% INCREASE IN POPULATION AND HIDDEN COSTS TO THE TOWN.

• It is not known at this time what tax relationship the development would have to the town. Who or what entity would be paying taxes to the town? One lump sum from the developer? Individual payments by the home-owners? Promises of a tax windfall to the town must be seen for what they are - only promises.
• While Canopy/HRVR's gated community and their client spa will pay more in taxes than Williams Lake currently pays, would it make up for selling off the heart of natural Rosendale? Would it cover the hidden costs to the municipality? Would it cover the social cost of being second-class citizens in our own town?
• Importing 450 workers to the area probably means families with kids, and kids need to go to school. What would it mean to local property taxes to accommodate an influx of children into the local schools?
• Although the plans are to build private homes, we do not know how they will be taxed. This may be potentially bad for the municipality. Measures of assessed value could prove difficult to determine or apply in this case, should many of the homes be time-shares or the like. As a result, the municipality may finally be forced by default to accept tax terms defined by the developer. It is prudent to assume that paying as little as possible would be one of their business goals, year in and year out.
• What tax abatement probram might be sought by the developer from the town, county or state?
• Over time, property taxes in the municipality could be driven upward by proximity to the development, and/or because of the stresses its presence places on local schools and infrastructure. Can we accept a short-term gain, while wishing and hoping for the best in the long run?
• What additional services will be required for police, fire department, emergency services?
• Will property taxes be forced higher to pay for inevitable hidden costs to the municipality?
• What tax advantage, if any, might Canopy be seeking on behalf of Revolution and Miraval?
• What corporate entity will really hold the power - HRVR, Revolution, Canopy, Miraval, Matrix, Longmeadow Capital, another corporation yet to emerge? Who will follow through on the promises and assurances? Who, in fact, will be answerable to the community? Should the Rosendale town zoning be rewritten to accomodate this level of uncertainty?

IMPACT: ACCESS DENIED - THE LOSS OF OPEN SPACE

• In response to pressure from Save The Lakes and other involved community members, Tim Allred of Canopy stated in a Blue Stone Press article in July 2008 that some public access to the trails is now being considered in the form of Mohonk Mountain style day passes. Also, some access to Fourth Lake is "a conversation" that could happen. This is the first sign of the kind of progress that should be acknowledged and actively pursued for the community good.
  
  Initially, Canopy was emphatic in stating that the property would be totally private and exclusive to their clientele. But, depending on the demands of their spa client - should they find one - access could again be denied.

IMPACT: THE POLITICS OF WALLS AND GATES - THE ILLS OF SOCIAL SEGREGATION

• Social and economic segregation: gates, fences and high boundary walls effectively segregate an enclave from the local community and municipality. These so-called Golden Ghettos are designed for the residents to have little or no contact with the community in which they are situated. Combine that with the fact that Miraval Spa clients would pay as much as $8,000 a week for a stay, and it is obvious that the economic disparity between those within the walls and those excluded would be extreme. To make matters worse in this case, the local population would be priced out of an area of inestimable local value.


• A closed enclave runs contrary to the long-established social fabric of our region, one in which families of different income levels live as neighbors in mutual trust. Allowing a gated community with boundless resources and global brand-interests to take root in the heart of Rosendale would erode the neighborly way of life that has been maintained here for many generations. This tradition should be nurtured, not denied.


• Gated Communities foster a unified voting block that has been shown in some cases to alter the political equation in the municipality in which they exist. For example, a wealthy gated enclave - especially a resort/vacation home development - may have no economic or social interest in supporting municipal tax referendums to benefit local schools and infrastructure.


• To quote Professor Setha Low from her article How Private Interests Take Over Public Space: "Private gated communities employ still another set of practices connected with regional and municipal planning. Incorporation, incentive zoning, and succession and annexation recapture public goods and services, including taxpayers' money, and use these goods for the gated community and residents. These strategies are not illegal in the sense that they are not draining the pond or posting no-trespassing signs on land that is not theirs, and do not employ brute force, but they do mislead taxpayers and channel funds into amenities that the public cannot use, and instead contribute to the maintenance of private communities.


• Professor Setha Low again: "Private interests are able to craft complicated deals that benefit the developer and the gated community residents without enhancing public space and at the expense of taxpayers who unwittingly are trading higher-density housing for privatized open spaces and reduced public amenities. Ironically, the taxpayers are subsidizing the creation of a secured residential enclave with private parks, tennis courts, club houses and swimming pools." In this case, the secured enclave would appropriate both Williams Lake and Fourth Lake, with the surrounding wetlands and forest with hiking trails and caves, representing almost 7% of Rosendale Town's total area - and an even greater percentage of Rosendale's open space.


• An outpost of great wealth in Rosendale would surely attempt to influence public policy and dictate to local government on services and taxation. It is naive to think otherwise. For example, rebates on property taxes have been routinely requested by some gated communities against services that the gated enclave pays for privately - like road maintenance within the "fortress". Resolving these annual avoidance tactics places strain upon municipal budgets by introducing unforeseen costs and stress in the form of legal fees and time spent in pursuit of the town's fair share.


• Gating has a number of motivations from equity protection to control of essential services, from fear of strangers to a controlled environment, but foremost among them is a sense of security and protection from crime. Statistics have shown that while the walls and gates might provide some security for the enclave, crime tends to INCREASE in areas adjacent to the compound. (Le Goix)
  
  
• Rhetoric aside, HRVR/Canopy/Revolution/Matrix's first concern is profit, and their perspective is corporate and global. Other private investors are going unmentioned, laying low. This is not an optic that favors local, community life - despite assurances of "mindfulness" and sensitivity.

SEE RELATED LINK:
Fulbright Scholar Renaud Le Goix Examines Gated Communities in Southern California, UCLA International Institute

SEE RELATED LINK:
Putting Up The Gates - by Ed Blakely and Gail Snyder
authors of Fortress America: Gated Communities in the United States

RELATED READING:
"Behind the Gates - Life, Security, and the Pursuit of Happiness in Fortress America" by Setha Low, Routledge 2003.

RELATED READING:
"The Politics of Public Space" edited by Setha Low and Neil Smith. Published in 2006 by Routledge.

IMPACT: WEAR AND TEAR

• Main Street, Rosendale is already at or approaching capacity. How much more traffic is anticipated?
• What kind of roads will be built, and where?
• Will there be the need to widen existing roads, or change the current right-of-way?
• Who will foot the bill for local road improvements and maintenance of area roads in the light of much heavier traffic loads?
• Will there be a heliport? Helicopter travel has become so common now into the Hamptons and Millbrook, for example, that helicopter service into the resort could be seen as a necessary amenity - one serving essentially the same clientele.
• What kind of disruption can we expect or accept as the project is being built (over years) and after completion?
• Who will pay for upgrades to existing roads and traffic lights, signage, etc.?
• Who will pay for improvements to existing access, including the bridges on state Route 32 over the Rondout Creek and Wallkill River?
• How will damage to local roads by years of heavy truck traffic during construction be paid for?
• What about the noise and quality-of-life impact of more than 100 homes going up simultaneously with a major hotel/spa - one that will be closed to all but the few who can afford it?

IMPACT: THE FRUIT OF PURE SPECULATION

• The proposed development is a highly speculative venture, an attempt to bring together a branded luxury spa with high-end vacation properties to create a "lifstyle" destination. It was conceived at a time of unprecedented profit for corporations and market investors and it was priced to fit their whims and spending ability - all in a hyper-inflated real estate market. But that economic environment has changed dramatically.
• Should HRVR's profit-plan prove to be wishful thinking, this vacation/lifestyle project could start to resemble a white elephant.
• Imagine a retreating HRVR and their investors - including Revolution LLC - abandoning a half-built development, leaving behind a wrecked landscape for Rosendale to deal with.
• Impossible? The AOL-Time Warner merger orchestrated in the 90's by Steve Case ultimately resulted in a loss of $138 billion to shareholders, and led to his departure from the corporation under accusations of mismanagement.
  
  READ ABOUT IT:
  Fools Rush In : Steve Case, Jerry Levin, and the Unmaking of AOL Time Warner by Nina Munk.
  Stealing Time : Steve Case, Jerry Levin, and the Collapse of AOL Time Warner by Alec Klein.

IMPACT: A COMMUNITY RESOURCE LOST

• Properly licensed fisherman enjoyed access to Fourth Lake, but no more.
• For about the cost of a YMCA membership, beach club members enjoyed year-round access to the property.
• The local Triathalon Club used the Lake to train several times a week.
• The Bar was always open to the public.
• A Wednesday night buffet was served in the dining room, and open to the public.
• Many weddings were held there at an affordable cost.
• Public schools had their picnics with swimming at Williams Lake.
• For a number of years, the AIDS auction was held there and the Breast Cancer Support Group had their annual picnic there. Various Senior and Elder Hostel groups held meetings there.
• Annual Mountain Bike races were held there.
• The Rosendale Nordic Ski Club enjoyed the trails for many years.
• Skiing facilities were open to the public.
• Community meetings, workshops, seminars were held at the lake on a frequent basis.
• Geology students from across the nation were brought here for research classes and seminars because of the unique characteristics of the rock outcroppings and the accessibility of the open cement mines.
• The Natural Cement Conference was held there in 2005.
• The Polar Bear Club - a winter sauna and swim group - was a tradition dating from 1927.
• Compared to other resorts in the area and vacation packages that are offered to families, the Williams Lake Resort was kid-friendly and reasonably priced.
• Over the years, Williams Lake came to fill a vital role in the quality of life for the people who came to know it.