Nothing lurid here, just a diary about a local victory. It’s a big story in this neck of the woods. (Cross-posted at daily kos.com)
Picture if you will a pastoral setting, a small town on the northern reaches of Westchester county, New York. A town that has farms, pristine wildlife habitat and a small historic district within its
borders. Located here is the last trout-spawning stream in the county.
Now picture this town under siege. A parcel of land 0f some of 628 acres is the subject of a proposal for development. The proposal is for 108 luxury homes to be built amidst the old growth trees and meadows. The development will be called Eagle River.
The town is my town. It is the town of Somers, New York where I have lived for the last 11 years.
The town calls itself “The cradle of the American circus”. It was here in 1804 that Hachaliah Bailey, ancestor of Mr.Bailey of Barnum & Bailey fame, began the menagerie of animals that evolved into the circus. The Bailey house, an imposing 1870’s empire style mansion, still stands across the way from the early 1824 Elephant Hotel, now home to the town’s government. Out in front stands a statue of “Old Bet”, the elephant that was at the center of Mr.Bailey’s menagerie. The elephant is now the town’s symbol (Yes, I live in a town where an elephant, the animal beloved by Repugs everywhere, is the town’s symbol) These two structures are located within the town’s historic district. Other
historic structures are scattered throughout the town.
Also located here are several farms, one of which is now a county park. It is regularly visited by local schoolchildren who come to see the chickens, pigs, horses, goats and yes, a donkey. (To counter the
town’s elephant symbol perhaps?)
The town is almost literally inundated with water resources. These include lakes, streams and significant wetlands. Part of distant New
York City’s highly regarded water comes from reservoirs within the town.
At the very center of the town is the 628 acres that is the subject of the proposal. This property is the largest privately owned undeveloped parcel remaining in the county. It has been the subject of several
failed development proposals, one of which actually resulted in model structures being built. These now stand in ruin.
The property includes the aforesaid trout-spawning stream, the Angle Fly, and a revolutionary war-era farm house, the Reynolds house. Along with the pristine meadows is habitat for turtles and salamanders.
Against this backdrop, I became interested in taking an active role rather than just complaining about local affairs. (Okay, I’ll never completely stop complaining.) One day while watching the local
government channel, I noticed the listings for vacancies on various town boards. One of these was a vacancy on the open space committee. I decided to go for it. After meeting with the town board and town supervisor, I was appointed to the open seat.
The Committee had previously determined the Eagle River property to be its highest priority of parcels it was watching. Accordingly, it was necessary to make the public aware of the proposal and its ramifications. Efforts were made at every appropriate opportunity including the town’s annual fourth of July celebration held at the town’s largest park. The committee invariably had a table and would
provide information about the project. Other town events would lend themselves to the same treatment.
But other more sophisticated means of communication apparently had a greater effect. During the pendency of the proposal a grassroots organization was formed by a local resident. The organization, For Somers, maintained a website http://www.forsomers.org/ that would provide invaluable assistance. The site provided information about recent developments and notice of hearings via e-mail.
Assistance was sought from and provided by state and local legislators as well the Westchester Land Trust, a local group.
Things came to a head when the developers filed their DEIS (Draft Evironmental Impact Statement) with the town. In accordance with the law, public hearings were held and the response was truly overwhelming. The extensive hearings revealed the DEIS to be inadequate in many respects, most notably in how it dealt (or failed to deal) with the impact upon sensitive wildlife habitat as well as on water resources and wetlands. Another significant concern was the deforestation caused by the loss of some 15 thousand trees. Concerned individuals came out in large numbers and many provided their dramatic verbal responses. The developers were faced with costly revisions to the DEIS.
Apparently the cost of addressing the DEIS’ shortcomings taken together with the pressure from different groups and citizens figured largely in
the developer’s decision to sell the property. Money came from several sources to fund the $20.5 million pricetag. For a total of 654 acres (there is a separate unattached parcel included), the town contributes about $4 million, the county adds about $4 million, New York City adds $9.4 million and New York State kicks in $3.2 million.
The town and the county will co-own roughly 430 acres, New York City will own 269 acres that will protect its water resource interests. The town will manage the 430 acres, to be called the Angle Fly Preserve, for passive recreation purposes. (hiking) A “Friends Of The Angle Fly” group has been formed for management tasks. New York State will retain
a conservation easement on a large part of the property, thereby precluding development.
In return for the county funds, the town has agreed to use best efforts to implement a plan for 188 units of affordable housing. (Severly lacking in this county, the home of Hillary and Bill.) It is estimated that the bill to town residents is $28.00 per year during the life of the bond. This arrangement to purchase the Eagle River property has been seen as a model for future transactions.
The important message here is that ultimately it was a coalition of groups and legislators that turned the tide.
Next up, the fight for Amawalk Point, a steep, rocky peninsula jutting out into the reservoir that is the subject of possible development.
