August 16, 2024
Housing opponents recently sent out a misleading email to their following with several false and misguided statements. In reviewing the much-needed housing proposal that we’ve submitted to Ulster and Woodstock, we implore stakeholders and community members to stick to the facts and to be objective. We welcome community input into the project and look forward to continuing to engage community members in constructive conversations about the details of the project, but this process must be driven by facts, not intentionally misleading information that seeks to advance opposition to the construction of new homes in our community.
The below are just a few of the misleading statements circulated by our opposition. We have included our factual corrections. We look forward to continue progressing our project through the review process and pushing aside the baseless ZBA appeal from the Woodstock Land Conservancy. Please join us in support at the Woodstock ZBA meeting on August 22nd at 7pm at 45 Comeau Drive, Woodstock, NY.
Opposition Misleading Statement: Developers are trying to “cram high-end houses” into the Town of Ulster portion of the site.
FACT: The Ulster land that we own is zoned R-60, allowing for 77 residential units “as-of-right.” Our proposal is to subdivide into just 30 lots with the intention of building 30 single family homes. There are 6 lots that are large enough theoretically to accommodate a duplex, therefore the maximum final unit count would be between 30 and 36 units, well less than half of the development potential. The average size of each lot is more than 3 acres, hardly “cramming.”
Opposition Misleading Statement: We need permission from Woodstock to build a road into the development.
FACT: The road already exists, called Eastwoods Drive. We have submitted plans for approval to extend and upgrade the road to be compliant with fire code. We do need certain approvals from the Woodstock Planning Board to accomplish this and have submitted for those approvals plus more.
Opposition Misleading Statement: Developers say “it’s a slam dunk,” but building inspector Francis “Butch” Hoffman explained complications to our plan.
FACT: The building inspector provided a written determination of the necessary approvals required, including a wetland and watercourse permit and a site plan review. We have filed our project plan seeking those exact approvals. The only “complications” the project is facing are from the opposition’s baseless appeal to the ZBA challenging the building inspector’s determination.
Opposition Misleading Statement: The Woodstock Land Conservancy’s lawyer is challenging our concept based on accepted case law from similar situations.
FACT: The ZBA appeal cites case law that is not applicable to our project. The opposition has carefully and intentionally omitted certain facts in order to bend the case law to their own one-dimensional self-interest. We will prove this clearly and effectively at the ZBA meeting on Thursday, August 22nd.
April 24, 2024
Now that the Zena Homes application is officially filed with the Town of Ulster as of March 25, 2024, and following the first public presentation to the Ulster Planning Board, we wanted to take this opportunity to update our community with some of the highlights of the project.
First and foremost, we wanted to thank everyone involved. We believe we have put together an incredible team of professionals who have worked tirelessly, given the strict guidelines and the very public nature of the project. We also want to express our gratitude for the feedback we have received since the board presentation.
Hundreds of pages of information are available on the Town of Ulster’s Public Information page, and we encourage everyone to review them and follow along as the project progresses.
Zena Homes is a modest, low-density 30-lot residential subdivision of 106.6 acres of land located in the Town of Ulster. The property is located within the Town of Ulster’s R-60 Residence District, which is already the Town of Ulster’s most-restrictive zoning district, and we are only proposing to utilize approximately 38% of the site’s development potential. Seventy-seven (77) residences are permitted, but through our outreach in seeking community input over the past year, we have decided to propose thirty (30) lots. To be completely transparent as we’ve said we’d be since the beginning of this project – and to reiterate information disclosed in our application materials that are posted and publicly available on the Town of Ulster website – thirty lots does not necessarily mean thirty homes. Our intention is to build thirty single-family homes, but there are 6-8 lots that can accommodate two-family duplex homes. We understand the region’s affordability concerns and want to preserve the flexibility to provide different housing options.
The site layout is very intentional. We are well short of the number of residences allowed by zoning and by not maximizing the site’s development potential, we can preserve 72% of the 88 acres of existing forested area and limit new roads, buildings, and other paved or impervious surfaces to only 7% of the 106.6 acres available. Where tree clearing is required for wells and septic, for example, we propose to replace any clearing with native plants to maintain and support the sites’ flora and fauna. We have also initiated consultations with the appropriate state and federal agencies on species and have already received signoff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the Northern Long-Eared Bat, finding that the project will have no effect. We eagerly await the rest.
We have heard the concern about access. The roadway system for the residential subdivision will be designed to meet all local and state requirements for publicly accessible, but privately maintained, roads. The only development activity in the town of Woodstock will be to upgrade portions of Eastwoods Drive and extend it approximately 1,400 feet. Eastwoods Drive is an existing private road that we own and maintain, that serves several existing residences. Eastwoods Drive, and the new subdivision roads, will continue to be privately maintained by a Homeowners Association, alleviating any burden on the towns of Ulster or Woodstock. Similarly, we have met with both the Ruby Fire Department and Woodstock Fire District. The Ruby Fire Department will collect full taxes from the development and we are committing to make yearly contributions to the Woodstock Fire District, ensuring both town’s emergency services receive their fair share, should they ever have to answer a call to the development. Through these measures, the project will be self-sufficient and not be a burden to either town’s taxpayers.
No one project will solve the housing crisis that plagues our county, state, and nation. However, the astronomical costs are directly linked to a lack of adequate housing stock. It is well studied that tens of thousands of new units are required across the state – at all price points – to address the housing crisis. Indeed, our project is designed to support single- and two-family homes, to provide flexibility and different affordability options on the thirty lots to be created. Our aim is to be thoughtful with every decision. Our traffic study assumes fifty-six (56) homes (almost double of what we plan to build), and we did this specifically to “pressure test” the neighborhood. Even at that number, the project will generate a limited amount of new traffic and will not negatively affect the adjacent roadway network, as confirmed by an expert professional traffic operations engineer.
We understand, given all the attention this project has received, that it may be hard to decipher what is accurate and what is hearsay. Again, we encourage anyone who is interested to review the materials posted on the Town of Ulster Public Information Page and attend the upcoming planning board meetings, which are open to the public. Underscoring our desire to be transparent, if you have any questions, please email us directly on our website. We are excited to continue to the next steps towards presenting our project publicly.
Even Kleinberg and Eddie Greenberg, Zena Development, LLC