To the Editor:

This is not over! The article headlined “Stewart’s Altamont lawsuit is no more” in the Jan. 16 Enterprise, while technically accurate, does not really reflect the status of the whole Stewart’s situation.

Further in the article, Sean Mulkerrin does report that CSN (Concerned Severson Neighbors) is awaiting Part 3 of the SEQRA [State Environmental Quality Review Act] to make a determination as to the next course of action. There is the action of the village board and the issue is scheduled for the zoning board of appeals as well for consideration.

This is not over!  My concern is that those who only read the headline rather than the long article will conclude that CSN has given up.

The original lawsuit was filed against Local law 1 of 2018. Local law 2 of 2019 repealed that Local law 1 and, while it corrected some of the issues with Local law 1, fundamental issues remain in the current Local 2.

We received the information from the village Tuesday morning and, in order to meet the letter-to-the-editor deadline, we were only able to spot check it. But as an example, the village quotes Nan Stolzenberg’s conclusion that the village can promote commercial development while totally ignoring Nan”s big if — if it does not alter the unique charm and character of Altamont.

Question: How many big Victorian parking lots do you know of and do they enhance the unique charm and character?

This is not over because there is a broad base of support. The article refers to “a small group of Altamont residents.” The public face of CSN is a few residents who have taken the lead in this effort, but as a group our email list is well over 70 households whose families have cared enough to get involved and be regularly updated.

We have also been able to sustain the financial effort required to pursue our cause, which should be a good indicator that this is not a “small group.”

This is not over. Almost 200 people signed the original petition opposing this village-character-damaging Stewart's project. There has been reference to the Stewart’s supporting petition. That petition was pinned to the wall next to the door in Altamont’s Stewart’s Shop and, from the pages that I looked at, as well as a couple of others, the preponderance of the signatures were from up the hill — something to keep in mind when determining the character and future of the village that we live in.

Harvey Vlahos

Altamont