MIGDALE
Migdale Castle, built in 1927 for Andrew Carneige’s daughter Margaret, is located outside the Village of Millbrook in the Town of Washington, an area of Dutchess County best known for its rural open rolling fields, clean water and air, and thriving farms.
A New York City developer, Will Guidara, seeks to purchase the property to turn into a luxury resort complete with a 70 room hotel, two restaurants, 23 stand-alone houses, 31 cabins, glamping sites, indoor-outdoor movie theaters, pools, tennis courts, outdoor sports, the list goes on. Will Guidara initially told the community he wanted to build a luxury hotel with two restaurants. Just three weeks later, the project morphed into, to use Mr. Guidara’s own words from a Millbrook Business Association zoom, “a large scale development”.
The Friends of the Town of Washington are opposed to the current Migdale petition because 1) its proposed zoning overlay is a threat to our overall zoning, 2) the hazard this project presents to the Town's water supply (specifically the Village's), and 3) its total disregard for the TOW's 2015 Comprehensive Plan that was developed by all of our citizens and took over 8 years and many, many public hearings to develop.
The developer has asked for a special zoning overlay. An overlay is essentially spot zoning - meaning our 10-acre zoning laws wouldn’t apply there. Under this overlay, a landowner or a group of landowners that collectively own 350 contiguous acres, have access to a state road and 500 feet of frontage on that state road (meaning Routes 44, 82, and 343) would be eligible for this commercial overlay in a residential area. This commercial overlay is very broad and unrestrictive allowing for a variety of recreational uses spas, movie theaters - the list goes on. According to several lawyers and conservancy groups who are land-use experts, this overlay will threaten and expose thousands of acres in the TOW to commercial development.
The Town of Washington zoning map highlighting the land at risk for commercial development by an overlay.
The areas in red outlined above are the areas that could be at risk of commercial development under this overlay. And these are just properties that are owned by one individual and entity - it does not even begin to outline the properties that could be cobbled together to meet that 350-acre threshold.
With regard to Migdale, the surrounding 350 acres is complete with wetlands and unbuildable land - meaning that the proposed development would require densely concentrated building. The amount of environmental damage will be extensive - trees cleared, roads cut, animals disturbed, and visibility from the road for sure, not to mention traffic safety, noise, and lighting -- all things that will have a long term effect on our community and once they are done, they cannot be undone.
What's more, is there is no water there to service this village outside our village AND Migdale sits above the village's water supply. (please refer to the water map above). The developer will need to either access the village's water or come up with some alternative. In addition, the sewage treatment plant for this ‘village outside of our Village’ will literally sit on our water supply. The developer has offered no clear plans or alternatives to this.
FOTOW is simply asking the Town Board to remove this petition for an overlay district and consider this project more thoroughly and carefully. A copy of the Friends of the Town of Washington’s (FOTOW’s) letter to the Town Board outlining our position can be found here.
FOTOW welcomes thoughtful commercial development and business in the village and in the commercial area of Mabbettsville. This is what our 2015 Town of Washington Comprehensive Plan - which outlines the vision for TOW and was created by our entire community - calls for. 2015 Comprehensive Plan can be found here.
We believe that our community deserves all of the facts and time for thoughtful reflection - and an opportunity for open, transparent discussion - before the Town makes any recommendation to move forward on the Migdale project.
FOTOW’s legal council Grant & Lyons LLP further explains our group’s opposition to Migdale, link here.