The Copake Zoning Board of Appeals conducted a preliminary review Aug. 27 of a traffic assessment for a proposed 185-key hotel and wellness resort on the 41-acre property of the former Roeliff Jansen Central School at 9065 Route 22.
Roe Jan Resort LLC seeks a special use permit to convert the school building, which has been vacant since 1999, into a hotel and wellness resort.
At a public hearing, area residents spoke in support of the project, citing its potential to create jobs and generate economic activity in the town.
Mark Nadolny, a project manager at Creighton Manning Engineering representing the applicant, said the company conducted a traffic assessment and determined that additional traffic generated by the project would not be significant enough to require the developer to make improvements outside the property, such as installing traffic signals.
The assessment involved counting vehicles passing through intersections surrounding the property during peak traffic hours, from 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m., Nadolny said. The company evaluated traffic delays and estimated how much traffic the resort might generate based on similar sites across the country. Both typical days and days with scheduled events were considered.
“We did that for typical conditions for the resort, we also did it for a sensitivity analysis for when there was some sort of a live theater event at the site, so it was almost like a worst case assessment for the site,” Nadolny said. “We looked at the site driveways themselves to see how they would operate, traffic signals wouldn’t be needed, [with] single lanes entering and exiting. There’s good sight lines out there.”
The applicant will submit the traffic assessment to the New York State Department of Transportation for review, a process that could take two to five months, Nadolny said. The study could undergo revisions following the department’s review.
ZBA Chair Jon Strom said the Hillsdale Fire Company, which covers the Hillsdale-Copake fire district, had reviewed the applicant’s site plan and signaled their support for it.
Thomas Goldsworthy, who has chaired Copake’s Economic Development Advisory Committee for the past six years, said the project would be consistent with the town’s comprehensive plan by supporting recreational tourism, preserving the historic building, and creating job opportunities for area residents.
Goldsworthy said the committee met with 30 prospective buyers over the years. It also consulted with two major organizations working on affordable housing, Pennrose and RUPCO, both of which determined that converting the property into apartments would be too expensive given what they described as little demand.
“By denying this special use, you further limit the use of the property, and you limit the potential for other future development.” Goldsworthy said. “And after 25 years, it’s significant that this building is as in good shape as it is, considering it’s been vacant and not maintained for 25 years. But it’s continuing to deteriorate and deteriorate regularly. And I believe that denial of the special use permit that the applicant seeks would ultimately lead to the demolition of the school, and continued vacancy for some period of time until a new use can be determined.”
Edgar Masters, a lifelong Copake resident and member of the town Planning Board, urged the ZBA to work with the applicant in a positive and time-sensitive manner.
“It will strengthen Copake as an exciting recreational destination with all its economic benefits to our town and potential tax income a successful resort can bring,” Masters said. “This project is potentially a huge win for Copake.”
Some residents raised concerns about the project’s impact on other businesses in surrounding towns, as well as traffic safety near the library.
Despite the preliminary review, Strom said the ZBA had yet to review the applicant’s full 111-page traffic study, which he said he received only a few hours before the meeting.
Strom said the Planning Board will serve as lead agency for the proposal’s environmental review. The ZBA cannot approve the special use permit until that review is completed.
The public hearing remains open. The board’s next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 24.