It takes a village to make a village in the town of Bethlehem.
At the planning board’s Tuesday, May 6, meeting, members listened to plans
for three developments in town known as Dowerskill Village in Glenmont, Mystic Woods in Delmar, and Cottonwood Estates in Delmar. All of the developments have been before the board previously and were submitting updated plans.
Kent Jenkins, the property owner and developer of Dowerskill Village, updated the board with his plans saying that 6 acres of green space would be deeded as open space and not be developed. The neighborhood association will oversee the property, he said.
Jenkins said street tree plantings would occur along Rotterdam Drive and that other shrubs and landscaping plans would also be included in the development.
At least one resident complained to the board that some of the existing trees along the street were to be removed during construction.
A woman who lives across the street from the development told the board that Jenkins told her trees would remain across the street from her. Jenkins denied stating that all the trees would remain.
Planning Board Chairman Parker Mathusa said the planning board would continue working with Jankins on his plans as the development moved forward.
The Mystic Woods plans were heard next.
The project is proposed for 25-acre parcel on Orchard Street in Delmar, which had an original zoning designation that could have allowed about 38 to 40 lots on the property. The current application proposes nine lots with part of the property bordering on the Five Rivers State Conservation land.
The property was rezoned while the project was still in the planning phases to residential large lot and the current application is consistent with its zoning, according to the planning board.
Each lot size ranges from a little over 2 acres to more than 3 acres, according to the plans, and the lots will front on a new town road and cul-de-sac.
John Schafer, an engineer for the project, said the traffic coming out of a nine-lot subdivision would not be heavy over the course of a day, and that all of the utilities will be underground.
Schafer told the board that the project has accommodated probably 75 percent of the [town] engineer’s suggestions.
`If we could get water to run uphill, we could’ve solved this a long time ago,` he told the board.
The water, he said, will be attached to an existing line along Orchard Street and the sewer system will be pressurized with a grinder pump at each house. There will also be two retention ponds to handle the quantity and quality of the stormwater runoff.
The ponds and the road will be deeded to the town, according to Schafer.
The board asked for a 10-foot easement for a right-of-way along the project for a future pathway or possible bike path and/or sidewalk, which Schafer said could be included.
The Cottonwood Estates plans were heard last.
The proposed seven-lot subdivision is located at the end of Cottonwood Lane in Delmar, and David Ingalls from Ingalls Associates, presented for the applicant.
`We’re quite far along with the technical detail of our plan,` Ingalls told the board.
He acknowledged that there were drainage issues that they were working on with the Engineering Division.
Because of the wetlands involved with the project, Mathusa called the development `a sensitive project` and asked to table the project until board members were able to look over all of the information involved, included a detailed wetland impact plan.
Ingalls said he understood, but added that a drainage analysis was done on the property and that there were no increased offsite drainage issues. He said he was working with the Army Corp. of Engineers on the project and that deed restrictions would be put on any remaining undisturbed wetlands on the property.
The board voted to table a decision on the project with a vote expected at its next meeting Tuesday, May 20.“