The Resort is a GO

Reports yesterday and today say the Belleayre Resort is approved for construction, and will take 8 years to complete. All the reports emphasize that it is "scaled back" from its original proposal. Some of the reports cover the opposition to the resort. The reports say that the state will acquire the closed Highmount ski area, and reopen it to connect Belleayre to the new resort. Spitzer and other supporters, say the resort will bring jobs, economic development and revitalization to the region. Opponents say the resort has major environmental and aesthetic drawbacks. Local competitors Hunter, Wyndam and Plattekill have a problem with what they believe is an unfair fiscal advantage enjoyed by Belleayre. Bellayre does not pay taxes, and now they will acquire more runs "free" with a connection to Highmount, even though it connects to a private venture.

News Reports

State and Developer Finish Deal for Resort in Catskills
New York Times

...“In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have any construction on forested lands that drain into the nation’s largest unfiltered water supply,” he added. “This is not a perfect solution, but it’s a shot of adrenaline for watershed protection and smart growth.”

The project, called the Belleayre Resorts at Catskill Park, would be on the western edge of the state-run Belleayre Mountain Ski Center. The state has said it will expand and modernize the center, including restoring the adjacent Highmount ski area, which will be bought from Mr. Gitter.

Many local residents have opposed the huge project, fearing it would overwhelm the rural character of the region and its quiet hamlets. But many officials, like Robert G. Cross Jr., supervisor of Shandaken Town, where part of Belleayre would be built, have been vigorous supporters....

Environmentalists split over proposed $400M Belleayre Mountain ski resort
The Business Review - Albany, NY

...As part of the deal, the state will pay $6.5 million to buy the former Highmount Ski Center, which has been closed for about a decade. The space will be used to expand Belleayre Mountain Ski Center, which the state currently owns and operates.

That decision has further irritated private owners of area ski resorts, who have increasingly voiced complaints about the state's unfair advantages in the skiing business. Those issues include state-run facilities being exempt from paying taxes....

Despite agreement, opposition to resort still exists
Kingston Daily Freeman - Kingston,NY,USA

...Representatives of many groups that originally opposed developer Dean Gitter's plan stood shoulder to shoulder with Gitter and Gov. Eliot Spitzer on Wednesday at the Kingston Holiday Inn as the revised plan for the resort was unveiled.

But others - notably the Catskill Heritage Alliance, Friends of Catskill Park, the Pine Hill Water District Coalition and the Sierra Club - are standing firm in their opposition.....

Governor announces agreement on Belleayre Resort project
Capital News 9 - Albany, NY (with video)

...Along with 450 full-time jobs, it will open up another 1,800 construction jobs. Kingston Mayor James Sottile said, "It means a rebirth to add to the revitalization of Ulster County. It's going to mean jobs. It's going to mean economic development, it's going to mean sales tax. Really what it is, it's going to be a hub where people come to Ulster County and New York State to enjoy the beautiful scenery." More than 1,400 acres of land will be preserved under the agreement. The resort includes two hotels, some 250 lodging units and an organic golf course. The entire project is scheduled to take about eight years.

Revised Belleayre Resort Still Wrong for Catskill Park, Local Communities
New York Real Estate via PRNewswire

...“Scale remains the stumbling-block,” said Judith Wyman, Friends of Catskill Park Chair and one of CPC’s official negotiators. “This proposal is for a resort only slightly smaller than the outsized original. That’s not an acceptable compromise.”

“We local residents would still shoulder the adverse impacts of this unacceptable development: traffic, noise, disastrous flooding, the undermining of our way of life and our economy,” said Richard Schaedle, Chairman of Catskill Heritage Alliance, also one of CPC’s official negotiators. “This Agreement sets a terrible precedent for future growth in the Catskills.”

The negotiations did result in no build on the sensitive Big Indian plateau, improvements in monitoring, one 18-hole golf course instead of two with organic management, and some green building improvements — all with conditions.

But the revised plan merely places most of what was originally planned for both sides of the proposed Resort all onto the west, straddling Rt. 49A, a winding, mountain road. The massive scale of the project would dwarf the area villages causing severe socioeconomic displacement, in addition to environmental concerns due to the location.

It would include a completely new Highmount development with east and west lodges, a 120-room hotel, a spa, conference center and other amenities, and 120 detached housing units on steep mountain slopes, as high as 3000 feet and highly visible, even from Forest Preserve hiking trails.

“The stormwater protocol for Highmount is only conceptual,” said Michelle Wooten, President of the Pine Hill Water District Coalition. “And we’re still concerned about where they will get enough water for this project, since the well testing is incomplete. We’re asked to approve this MOA right now, with major issues unresolved."...

New $400M Resort Approved at Belleayre Mountain Ski Area
First Tracks Online Ski Magazine

...Half a million dollars in state funds will be allocated for local smart growth projects through a new Central Catskills Smart Growth Initiative. Funding is from the State's Environmental Protection Fund and will be administered by the Department of Environmental Conservation. Separate from this agreement, the state will begin a public collaborative process to explore scenic by-way designation for the Route 28 corridor...

...Annual property tax revenue of over $2 million is expected to be paid to the Town of Shandaken and Town of Middletown, local school districts and Ulster and Delaware counties. Annual sales tax revenue to the state and Ulster and Delaware counties generated by the resort is expected to be over $2 million...