NEW SCOTLAND — Over 30 escarpment dwellers came out to this month’s planning board meeting, wanting to protect their neighborhood from what they consider to be an invasive camp retreat.

Steve Cosimano wants to build a low-impact three-season retreat on Castle Road, he said. In the plans is a lodge, a central barn structure, and four small cabins on site. He eventually will build a permanent house on the 15 acres for himself, a writer, or his son, a musician. They currently run a technology business together. They want to open the camp to encourage creative-thinking projects for artists or scientists to meet, meditate, or compose.

Most of the residents who spoke against the proposed project during the planning board’s public hearing live in single-family homes along Castle Road and Indian Ledge Road.

They are concerned about sewage, water, the escarpment view, the impact on the environment, traffic, and noise.
Alice Corkrey has lived on Castle Road for 31 years and said she, along with everyone else, moved out there "purposely for harmony and tranquility," and that she’d like that to be maintained.

Nathaniell Greenman, of 80 Castle Road, said he is concerned about health and safety issues, such as having adequate water maintained on the Hill, and that there will be appropriate disposal of waste water. There are a lot of ledge and rock fissures, he said.

He, and many of the other residents repeatedly said they couldn’t believe that such a commercial venture was even being considered in their residential neighborhood.
When Cosimano holds large community events at his camp, such as art-gallery openings, "Where will people park"" residents asked. They also raised concerns about wear on the road, and vandalism.

Elizabeth Smith, who lives in New York City but owns the property known as the Helderberg Castle which abuts the north end of Cosimano’s property, said she already has people, tourists and kids, trespassing on her property as if it weren’t her front yard. Beer bottles are strewn all over the place and hikers wear walking paths, Smith said.

And, while she occasionally does open up her property for the public to see the historic site, a new retreat next door would surely bring more people into wandering on her property, she said.
Smith urged the board to take its time considering this application and to complete necessary environmental studies. "I don't want pieces of the escarpment coming down," she said, "or sewage seeping down the cliff."
Kay Wilkie, of 68 Castle Road, said she likes the rural, quiet neighborhood and is not in favor of a "quasi-commercial enterprise," with noise and traffic. Right now, it is a "very rural, very quiet road," she said, and up to seven buildings on 15 acres is not consistent with the neighborhood.

Joe Koczaja of Indian Ledge, said that, regardless of how the town wants to classify the retreat, the town should be considering a variance for the application not just a special-use permit. He also argued for the project to be classified as a Type 1 action for environmental impact studies.

Martin Pearlman wanted to make sure that the special-use permit would limit the number of building permits and the maximum occupancy of the retreat grounds.

Doug Rivenburg, of 210 Indian Ledge, wanted to know who is going to be checking and enforcing Cosimano’s compliance with all the special-use stipulations.

The board responds

The town does have a building department and code enforcer, but ultimately it requires neighbors watching each other, planning board Chairman Robert Stapf said.
Paul Cantlin, the zoning enforcement officer, reacts as he learns about violations, Stapf said. "We all need to work together to enforce it," Stapf said.
"So there is no enforcement," Rivenburg quipped.

Stapf emphasized to the crowd that this is not a rezone, that the property is currently zoned Residential Forestry and that Cosimano’s project is within the current zoning regulations.
"This is an allowable use here," Stapf reiterated. Besides single-family homes, other permitted uses in this area are day-care centers, restaurants, and taverns.
"What the applicant is requesting is somewhat reasonable," Stapf said, and a lot less invasive than some of the other permitted uses.

Under other town’s zoning laws, this establishment would need a variance, Koczaja said.
"We’re not another town," planning board member Cynthia Elliot responded.

The planning board’s attorney, Louis Neri, informed the public that, based on town laws, this camp venture is not considered a commercial use as some are suggesting.

It is classified as a retreat, which is in a separate category from commercial, Neri said. It doesn’t matter if the camp is for-profit or not-for-profit; a summer camp or retreat has it’s own classification for zoning purposes, he said.

Planning board member Elliott also told the crowd that no subdivision is required for this project either. Cosimano is not creating new lots, each with its own primary structures.
Resident Paul Earl wanted to know how long a person has to reside in one of the "cabins" in order for it be considered a residence and therefore limit the number of buildings per acre. Residential Forestry zones permit a residence only every three acres.

In order for a cabin to be identified as a dwelling, it has to have a bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom, which these cabins won’t have, Cantlin said.

The plan is for food to be served in a central lodge, Cosimano has said.

Also, since a retreat is an explicitly permitted use in this area, it does not need a residence or a home as a primary structure to make the lot conforming, Cantlin said.

More needed

Keith Menia, from the town's engineering firm, explained to Cosimano that the town still needs a lot more information from him. This includes what the county health department will require for the building permit to be granted, what the sewer and water plan will be, and what the county considers the demand for a camp of this size.

Menia said, at this point, Cosimano’s application is not complete.

Cosimano said he plans for the cabins to have incinerator toilets.

Once Cosimano has submitted septic and water information, both the county and the town’s engineers will review it, Stapf said.

A lot of the residents at the public hearing where put out by the limited amount of information Cosimano had submitted and presented.

Stapf said that the planning board is waiting for Cosimano to find out from Albany County’s health department what will be required. It’s up to the applicant to bring the information to the town, Stapf said.

The planning board regularly postpones votes until the applicant supplies all the information it has requested.

Cosimano said that he will only have six to 10 people staying at the camp at one time; there will only be one person per cabin and the opportunity for a few people to stay in the lodge.
"I don’t want to impact the property at all," he said.

He has located existing meadow areas to build his main buildings, and is not planning on cutting down major trees, he said.
"There’s a lot of limestone rock I don’t want to touch," he said.

A number of the current residents testified to the susceptibility of the rocks to fracture.

Dan Driscoll, a founder of the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy and co-author of the Helderberg Escarpment planning guide, spoke to the planning board to offer his recommendations.

This particular area is a very visible part of escarpment, Driscoll said. He recommends prohibiting any clear-cutting.

Also, Driscoll said he had completed noise surveys in this area, and the sound levels are very low; amplified music should be properly contained within sound-proofing.

Cosimano has indicated that, down the line, he may want to put a recording studio on site for musicians or a print shop.

The planning board has not yet made a ruling on this application and will be considering it again, at its next meeting on July 11, after receiving more information about sewage management and well-water supply.