Letter to residents from Supervisor English
Esteemed Tuxedo and Tuxedo Park residents,
I’m writing to update you on efforts to rekindle the Tuxedo Farms project. As most of you know this has been considered for thirty plus years. Until recently, the last substantial discussion between the Tuxedo Town Board and the Related Corporation occurred in November 2017.
When I became Supervisor in January 2020, I began communications with the project manager, Mr. Andrew Dance. He stood firm to the position that unless the “Town” closed the High School and agreed to demands to alter the special permit, there would be no progress.
Fast forward to April 2021. Mr. Dance left Related and a new team, led by Executive Vice President, Greg Gushee, took over. I met with him and explained our desire to see what could be done to revive the project. This of course was happening during the height of Covid and the urban exodus of people seeking to relocate to nearby suburban and rural areas. Suddenly the housing market changed dramatically, and the possibilities blossomed.
The first step was to bring the Town and Related back to the table and establish a starting point for negotiations and ideas. Our first meeting was held September 27th.
The Tuxedo Town Board is continuing to review the preliminary proposal. We will present all concerns to Related and residents for consideration and response. We are committed to finding a pathway forward that is in the long-term best interest of our community. We must consider and address all concerns. We must analyze the proposals carefully.
We wanted the public to be involved from the onset and so we shared the presentation and the formal proposal immediately. The process will continue with analysis, discussion and negotiation. Public hearings will all be an important part of that process. The communities of Tuxedo and Tuxedo Park have been active in developing this plan for over thirty years. I hope that any revised plan honors the efforts of our leaders and the evolving vision of our Comprehensive Plan. We seek a tax positive development that enhances the values of existing Tuxedo and Tuxedo Park properties and delivers an extension of our communities that we all can benefit from and be proud of.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 13th, 6:30. It will be both an in-person meeting at Tuxedo Town Hall and available through the Town’s WebEx portal easily found on our website. We will present the concerns received from residents and start the process of discussion and negotiation. We want to foster a dialogue. We consider the initial proposal from Related to be a starting point for discussion.
Wastewater Treatment Plant
Directly connected to the Tuxedo Farms project is the essential wastewater treatment plant that was built to service the new project and about 260 existing homes and businesses in the Hamlet, the East Village, and about a dozen homes in Tuxedo Park.
In 2015, the Tuxedo Farms Local Development Corporation (LDC), was formed to finance the construction of a sewer plant using $30,000,000 in municipal bonds. The plant was built in 2017. It’s 95% completed. The existing plant is about 100 years old and is in its final days of service. The NYS-DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) has declared the old plant needs to be replaced. It’s falling apart. If the plant fails, the only viable plan is to get the new $10,000,000 plant operational. It’s already paid for! But still the sewer plant sits idle. In January 2020, Michele Lindsay and I began reorganizing the Sewer LDC, with the goal to get this plant working. Jay Reichgott joined us, and the new board worked with our attorneys to review the contracts. We concluded that the LDC owns the plant, but the deal is mired in language that could be litigated for years.
Greg Gushee has openly stated that Related will get this plant operational this year. The property owners and residents of the homes and businesses connected to the failing plant require a solution. There’s only one that makes sense, turn on the new plant. Failure to do so leads to scenarios of expensive and temporary remedies, not a real solution. The Tuxedo Farms LDC has one mission - to activate the plant. It’s essential to Tuxedo’s future to get this plant running now.
So, after 30 years, it’s a long story that needs a conclusion. We’ve re-started the process. I hope that this time we can move it forward. I believe the time's right and that our future depends on it.
Councilperson Jay Reichgott recently responded to a letter from Tuxedo Park’s Mayor McFadden. I share Jay’s thoughts and agree with his explanation of where we’re at. I’m sure my colleagues will also respond and of course are fully engaged in this process. I chose not to repeat his points but invite you to read his letter as well. I will respectfully use this letter to respond to all Tuxedo residents, and to Mayor McFadden and the residents of Tuxedo Park that he and I represent.
Thanks for “listening”. To be continued.
Ken English
Tuxedo Town Supervisor