Barrett Hill Plan Tabled by Southeast Board, But Likely to Pass
By Andrew Vitelli
A proposed change to the Southeast Town Code aimed at allowing a planned development in Brewster was put on hold Thursday, but seems likely to pass at the next Southeast Town Board meeting.
The town board held two public hearing on the law, which would create a “floating zone” to allow for the controversial Barrett Hill housing proposal to move forward. A text change to the town code creating the floating zone passed 3-2, with Supervisor Tony Hay and Councilmember Lynne Eckardt voting no, but a proposal to put the zone into effect on the Barrett Hill property was tabled until the board’s Oct. 6 meeting.
The Barrett Hill development, located on Mount Ebo Road, was approved in 2006 for senior housing, but developer Harold Lepler is now proposing a 168- unit workforce housing project including affordable housing and priority housing for groups such as military veterans and first responders. Hay and Eckardt have opposed the project over concerns that, unlike the senior housing previously envisioned, the units will bring more children into the school district and increase costs for taxpayers.
At Thursday’s meeting, Eckardt suggested the board should not vote on the zoning changes until a future meeting to allow council members to weigh comments made at the public hearing before voting. Town Counsel Willis Stephens said the board could vote on the same night as the hearing as long as no residents spoke against the law at the public hearing. Southeast resident John Lord had questioned the proposal and, though she didn’t believe Lord’s comments amounted to outright opposition to the proposal, Councilwoman Liz Hudak suggested tabling the motion “in order to err on the side of caution.”
The proposal to table the resolution passed 4-1, with Councilman Bob Cullen voting against it.
“This has been vetted for two years. We’ve had numerous public meetings,” Cullen said. “I think that to allow one person in the audience to stop a project or to slow a project down, I think is very disingenuous.”
Though Hudak and Councilman Edwin Alvarez both voted to put off the vote until the next meeting, they have each been supportive of the Barrett Hill project. With Cullen also in favor of the development, supporters will likely have the votes needed to pass the zoning map amendment at the next meeting.
“I think it’s a good project,” Cullen told The Putnam Examiner. “There is a need for rental housing.”
Eckardt and Hay have opposed the development, with Eckardt questioning the developer’s projection that it will only add 26 students to the public school system.
“I think it will cost Southeast residents money,” Eckardt said. “We’re going from senior housing, which essentially would not bring children into the school district, to rental housing, which allows children.”
While several public hearings have been held on the Barrett Hill proposal, Thursday’s public hearing was called after the planning board recommended changes regarding occupancy levels in the development, recreation fees, and minimum floor areas for different types of units. The changes were integrated into the text change approved by the board.
