Town weighs time-out; dorm plan may stall
Poughkeepsie Journal (NY) - June 5, 2008
Author: STAFF ; Christine Pizzuti
The Poughkeepsie town board could approve a temporary moratorium on residential development in institutional zones, affecting Dutchess Community College's plan to build dorms for 450 students.
The board Wednesday night voted to hold a public hearing on the subject July 9. The decision came after the board discovered it overlooked institutional properties' potentials when building the master plan, Supervisor Patricia Myers said.
"When we did the master plan, the new zoning, we overlooked the potential buildout in the institutional districts and whatever impact that would have on the community," Myers said. "We want to step back for a moment."
College President D. David Conklin could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.
The temporary moratorium would last nine months. It would apply to all institutional zones, including Vassar and Marist colleges and Saint Francis Hospital.
In 2005, the board enacted a temporary moratorium on large residential projects, but extended it several times in 28 months. It expired in September 2007.
In late March, the Dutchess County Legislature approved the development of a lease agreement between the county and the DCC Association to build dorms. Before the Legislature approved the agreement, the town board sent a letter asking it not to consider the lease, based on taxes and an overwhelmed fire department, among other reasons.
"Often, these not-for-profit entities need to pay their fair share of the fire and EMT services, which are being pushed on the backs of homeowners in the Fairview Fire District," said Kurt Hornick, who coordinates a group of concerned residents called Fairness for Fairview. "And Marist, DCC and Saint Francis are the biggest offenders of that."
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