Open Space Institute in Talks to Purchase Large Portion of Winston Farm
by Will Solomon
August 17, 2023
The Open Space Institute, a northeastern conservation organization, has long been active in growing public lands in New York State. Founded in 1974 in the Hudson Valley, OSI has protected over 2.3 million acres in the United States and Canada, including over 150,000 acres in New York.
This has included adding over 13,000 acres to Minnewaska State Park and fundraising $3 million toward a visitor center that was opened in 2020, doubling the size of Fahnestock State Park since the 1990s and launching a major improvement plan in 2020, and adding over 1,200 acres to John Boyd Thacher State Park in Vorheesville.
The organization may soon have another acquisition.
We Can Have a Say on Winston Farm
Bari Koral, a founding member of Citizens for a Beautiful Saugerties, gives a brief but impassioned speech at our last CBS meeting.
“This development is as big as Saugerties. If you want to put your energy into something, you can put your energy into this. We have to talk about this. We have to galvanize people. We have to tell people about this. We need people at our meetings. We can have a say. We have power here and this is really our moment.”
Winston Farm hearing in Saugerties draws mixed reviews
by David Gordon
September 25, 2022
Danny Melnick, the owner of a music tour and production company called “Absolutely Live,” said that he has produced music festivals around the world for more than 30 years, “and if anyone should be excited about an amphitheater in this area it is me; but I am not. Amphitheaters are huge; they accommodate thousands of people, and this is how our two amphitheaters, SPAC and Bethel Woods are designed. They must have parking lots many times larger than the amphitheaters themselves.” An amphitheater would bring in thousands of cars, as well as trucks and buses idling on Route 212 and Route 32, as well as sanitation and other service trucks entering and exiting the site. In addition, “sound checks and concerts can be heard almost a mile away. I have never worked at an amphitheater anywhere in the world situated in a residential community.”
Winston Farm hearing in Saugerties draws environmental concerns
By William J. Kemble
September 22, 2022
Resident Bari Koral read a letter from her 13-year-old daughter, Tuli Caigan, who wanted board members to consider ways to have the scoping document protect the town’s environment and character.
“In five or six generations what will this place look like?” she wrote. “We are talking about destroying or dividing (a) forest that protects us…As more places become uninhabitable I worry for my future (because) we are the generation that will inherit climate change.”
Why this matters: This is our moment! Attend the public hearing to express your concerns about the Winston Farm proposed development. By showing up in person you will have an impact.
Why this is important: Have an impact on the Winston Farm Environmental Assessment. Follow the steps below when crafting your letter to the Town Board in preparation for the Public Hearing on September, 21st at 6PM.
Winston Farm plans in Saugerties face objections
By William J. Kemble
August 18, 2022
Resident Gene O’Donovan, who owns property adjacent to Winston Farm, said developers are doing a disservice to the town.
“This project doesn’t have any responsibility to any of its neighbors,” he said. “It’s going to take Buffalo Road…and make it into its entrance to this property. Do you want your kids living on Buffalo Road to dodge the dump trucks as they come back and forth? I don’t think so.”
Denier Car Wash seeks rezoning in Saugerties
by David Gordon
May 25, 2022
[Andrew] Cowan asked why the specific location was chosen for the car wash. Denier agreed that they could have located the car wash somewhere else, “but we own the property there, we have done traffic studies there, and a number of individuals who have been advocates for it say it’s a great location.”
“I understand you own the property, but the zoning is still there,” Cowan said, noting that, just because he owns a piece of property, he can’t put a heliport there. Likewise, the zoning doesn’t allow car washes over an aquifer.”
Winston Farm's Next Phase
Regardless of the environmental review, some remain skeptical of the project’s direction; a representative of local environmental group Beautiful Saugerties describes the new plans as “loose and subject to interpretation.” For example, Saugerties LLC’s current vision preserves 400 of Winston Farm’s over 800 acres for open space — Beautiful Saugerties wants to know whether one section of the property will remain untouched, or the acreage will be broken up around construction into pockets of land.
“The SEQR process will serve to identify traffic, noise, pollution, environmental and construction concerns while not necessarily influencing the overall direction of the project itself,” said Andrew Cowan, a Beautiful Saugerties representative. “We're concerned about the scope and fit within the context of Saugerties — a gateway to the Catskills historically centered around nature, the environment, arts and farming — whereas the development as planned looks to be best suited for a larger and more rural piece of property.”
Winston Farm development intensifies water supply concerns in Saugerties
by Alexandra Zissu
April 27, 2022
“The two biggest things are the water issues and the habitat destruction. And this is just the tip of the iceberg,” says Kate Hagerman, program manager at Catskill Mountainkeeper. “The developers are envisioning a massive commercial development that would destroy intact habitats on the site and could impact drinking water, species of concern, and communities further downstream to the Hudson.”
“They asked for the moon in the initial plan and are seeing what’s going to stick and what they can get,” says Ken Devine, a Winston Farm neighbor and member of Beautiful Saugerties, a group of about 200 local citizens concerned about the scale of the proposed project.
Massive Development in Saugerties Raises Concern Among Locals
Rachel Hellman
Feb 24, 2022
Over the past few months, multiple environmental advocacy groups in the region have raised red flags concerning the Winston Farm development plans. Kate Hagerman, program manager for Catskill Mountainkeeper, is deeply worried.
“The proposed development project at Winston Farm, or any project of its scale, would be devastating to the ecosystems, wildlife, and plants of Winston Farm and the surrounding region,” she says.
Full SEQRA at Winston Farm
by Brian Hubert
December 29, 2021
Those with concerns about the potential Winston Farm project include Andrew Cowan who serves on the steering committee of beautifulsaugerties.com, which he described as a group of 200 local people concerned about the scale of the project in its current form. In a conversation December 16, Cowan noted the proposed project covers one and a quarter square miles, about half the space occupied by the entire village of Saugerties.
Chief among their concerns, he said, were plans to cut down 270 acres of woods and proposals for a 10,000-seat amphitheater, indoor waterpark and adventure park with accompanying parking lots. He estimates it would take 25 acres of parking to accommodate the cars for the amphitheater alone. He said the proposed amphitheater would occupy 45 acres compared to the 2200 secluded acres at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.