Orchard Owner Drops Housing Plan
By Robert M. Miraldi, Daily Freeman 08/29/2007
STONE RIDGE
The owner of the Stone Ridge Orchard says he is scrapping a proposed environmentally friendly housing project on the property because of objections from the public.
Dan Hauspurg, whose family has owned the orchard since 1999, first proposed the idea for Marbletown Green in hopes that it would be a unique, community-driven development, one that allowed interested citizens to contribute ideas and concerns. Despite hosting four public meetings and encouraging the community to turn out, Hauspurg's idea never took off.
In fact, over the past few weeks, green signs have appeared in front yards throughout Stone Ridge and Marbletown that read, "Preserve Marbletown: STOP The Green."
Once it became apparent this was the reaction the project would encounter, Hauspurg pulled the plug.
"The idea is to collaborate instead of create an adversarial community," Hauspurg said. "We wanted to talk about the design before doing anything, to gather information and bring it back and build a design for the needs of the community and the developer. You can't think about a project that excludes the community."
Aside from being a project that listened to community concerns, the proposed 150-acre development was intended to be environmentally friendly in every way it could. Years of pesticide usage - which ceased when Hauspurg's family bought the orchard - meant soil remediation, which still is planned. Solar panels on the roof of each home would have provided renewable energy. A 25-acre agricultural plot had also been carved out to include the organic production of small crops and livestock.
Unfortunately for Hauspurg, who also owns and operates The Inn at Stone Ridge, positive input from the community never developed. "Everyone thought we were trying to come in under the radar, which was never the case," he said. "We didn't come into this for a fight."
Peter Reynolds, who works for Ashokan Associates and Planning, has been involved in shaping Marbletown zoning laws for the past 20 years. When Hauspurg first envisioned the project almost a year ago, he came to Reynolds for advice. Reynolds was excited about what he calls a "critical property," one that had access to both U.S. Route 209 and state Route 213.
"The project was conceived as a chance for the landowner to sit down with the community and look at common goals and benefits," Reynolds said. "The idea of having such a dialogue is unconventional."
Like Hauspurg, Reynolds said he was "surprised there was not more openness to discuss creative ideas." Their surprise was shared by Marbletown Supervisor Vincent Martello.
"I think, all things considered, people are fearful of change," Martello said. "Whether you hated the idea or loved it, these guys made a genuine effort to engage the community."
Martello said he didn't think it was appropriate for the town to weigh in on the merits of the project; that he left to town residents. But whether they fully understood the voice they may have had is another matter.
"I've never seen a developer who's been willing to engage on that level," Martello said. "I don't know if people really got that."
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