Letter to the editor
Beautiful Saugerties!
I’m a relatively new full-time resident to Saugerties but I have been happily spending over half of the last ten years here. I was very active in my old (city) neighborhood and am now trying to get up to speed about how things roll in the small town of Saugerties. Oh yeah, village or town? It’s confusing to say the least, but some things are starting to become clear to me.
A few years ago, I learned of a developer plan for the former site of the historic 800-acre Winston Farm just down the road from me. At the moment, my understanding is that the five members who make up the town board, which is the “lead agency” for this proposal, will decide how and if this development plan moves forward. The developers have a website that unpacks their intentions, which will require a zoning change that they have requested. The town board, five people who know the developers personally, is going to decide — albeit based on reports that are being prepared in response to issues raised by the plan — whether or not to grant this zoning change. IF the town decides yes, we could easily be seeing a development that belongs in New Jersey and not in the small town of Saugerties, the beautiful gateway to the Catskills! I shudder to think. The developers propose clearcutting over 200 acres to realize their goals.
I won’t bemoan small town politics yet, as I’m too new, but I hope everyone is aware of what’s at stake. Those five people hold a lot of power over the future of this region. I pray every night the town board says no to the zoning change (which would essentially give a green light to the development plan on the table), but obviously praying is not enough. I’ve joined the local group “Citizens for a Beautiful Saugerties” to help get the word out. Wouldn’t you like to have a say about the future of your town? Personally, I like the vision being floated for a state park and regenerative garden. But the only way that vision, or any other alternative vision has a chance of being realized, hinges on the town saying no to the zoning change.
Keep Saugerties beautiful! If you want a theme park, go to NJ or even better, visit all the ones of old still mouldering away in the hills here. People come to this area for its natural beauty and biodiversity. Winston Farm is one of the last big parcels of unspoiled land left in the area. The benefits of that are endless.
Say no to zoning changes for massive development in Saugerties!
Sarah Vogwill
Citizens for a Beautiful Saugerties
