The Stanford Planning Board granted conditional approval of a subdivision of property belonging to the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent DePaul at 177 Sisters Hill Road at its meeting on Wednesday, Aug 27.
The nonprofit Catholic organization, established in 1809 and primarily based in the Bronx, serves the poor through charity work in schools, in hospitals, in the environment, and in social justice causes. The property in Stanfordville was willed to the charity in 1917, and served as a retreat for the sisters.
The organization owns roughly 66 acres and aims to subdivide the land into three lots, then sell two of them, including the lot with the main house. Environmental engineer Sean Morgan was present at the meeting, representing the organization, and stated that the lots being sold would be used for residential purposes.
The third proposed lot parcels Sisters Hill Farm, a CSA farm established by the charity in 1999 to provide locally grown food to people in need. The farm is run by David Hambleton, who also attended the meeting.
“We have 400 [CSA members] who come to the farm every week,” he said. “If they did try to sell the whole thing there might be a drive [amongst our members] to collect enough money.”
Despite fledgling ideas of the members collectively buying the farm, Hambleton did not think it likely that the entire property, including the farm, would be sold.
Sharon Dosin, chief operating officer of the Sisters of Charity, present at the meeting, expressed concern about conditional approval delaying the sale of the two lots, and floated the possibility of selling the entire parcel (including the farm), avoiding the need for subdivisions.
However, the board only granted conditional approval, as the applicants had not yet secured Dutchess County Board of Health approval.
In other business, the board unanimously approved a building envelope modification on a house belonging to the Dillinger family at Partridge Creek Estates in Clinton Corners. They are in the process of selling the house, which was built 40 years ago, and found it was not quite within the building envelope. The modification approved by the board will allow the Dillingers to continue with their sale.
Finally, the board granted unanimous site plan and special use permit approval to Benjamin Rathjen of Rathjen Landscaping. His landscaping supply store will include an office and pole barn storage spaces at 6102 Route 82, Stanfordville. The final of the three structures will be finished in the spring.
The next Stanford Planning Board meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 24.