Should Hyde Park assume ownership of a parcel of restricted-use land in order to keep it on the tax rolls? The Town Board pondered this question at length Monday evening, as members listened to a presentation by Elizabeth Waldstein-Hart, project coordinator for the Hudson Valley Welcome Center.
Waldstein-Hart provided an update on the $10 million project that is expected to support tourism and economic development in the Hudson Valley during the Aug. 20 meeting. The welcome center is a collaborative effort of the National Park Service, the town of Hyde Park, Scenic Hudson Land Trust and the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area and is slated to be built on a 29-acre parcel that includes the land where the Hyde Park Drive-In Theater is currently located.
The parcel was initially part of 330 acres owned by Scenic Hudson; most of the land was recently sold to the National Park Service (NPS). The NPS has completed the planning stage of restoring the historic carriage trail that connects Route 9G and Route 9; construction is scheduled to begin in spring of 2008.
According to Waldstein-Hart, plans for the remaining parcel call for a welcome center and shuttle service that will initially operate between the Roosevelt and Vanderbilt historic sites, with eventual expansion to other tourism-based destinations. The welcome center will be housed in a 5,000 square foot building, and the site will also feature an open pavilion for outdoor events including festivals, concerts and the Hyde Park Farmer’s Market.
The Dutchess County Tourism promotion agency has indicated an interest in serving as operator of the welcome center, said Waldstein-Hart. Federal appropriations have been sought to support the welcome center; in order for the project to move forward, either the NPS or the Town of Hyde Park is required to own the parcel.
According to Waldstein-Hart, usage of the land would be more flexible if the NPS was not the owner. The parcel could accommodate another building up to 20,000 square feet for limited commercial use, so it may be in taxpayers’ best interests for the land to be owned by the town, she said.
Supervisor Pompey Delafield stressed that the land could not be sold to a large commercial developer, so the town’s options are for the land to become tax-exempt through the NPS or have some commercial viability through the town. “It will not be sold to any entity that will pay taxes. Let’s get over that one,” said Delafield.
Deed restrictions exist that limit the type of business that can be introduced to the property, but ventures that are of a cultural or recreational nature are allowed, including theaters, museums, art galleries, craft or farmers market, cafés, Hudson Valley-related retailers or a native plant nursery. The welcome center partners have presented the Town Board with Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which would confirm the town’s interest in owning the 29-acre parcel.
Scenic Hudson, the current owner of the lot, has been paying taxes on the parcel and is eager to transfer the property. “Scenic Hudson’s goals are to move forward A.S.A.P.,” said Delafield. Waldstein-Hart and Sarah Olson, superintendent of Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites, explained that an $800,000 reserve fund has been discussed that would provide about $45,000 a year for maintenance of the welcome center and adjoining parcel. “It would act like an endowment,” said Olson.
The town needs to determine whether they feel owning the parcel would be in the taxpayer’s best interests. Councilmember Carol Lally-Metz (D-2nd Ward) suggested recruiting a “headhunter” to market the property to potential developers. Developers may also have access to market studies that may better determine which enterprises are ideal for the parcel, said Metz. “Is there more chance that Hyde Park will break even or make a little money as opposed to taking it off the tax rolls?” asked Delafield.
Some believe that expanding tourism-related activities could be a move in the right direction. “We must become a tourist destination – we don’t have another industry in town,” said Delafield.
“There’s a great potential to increase tourism in the Hudson Valley,” said Waldstein-Hart.
“We do have some of the largest drawing cards in the Hudson River Valley,” said Delafield. “If we could turn it into an economic benefit, it would be worthwhile,” he said.
Findings at St. Andrews
The conversation turned rocky when board members reviewed findings regarding the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) pertaining to St. Andrews at Historic Hyde Park, a large mixed-used development proposed for St. Andrews Road.
Developers listened as town attorney George Rodenhausen discussed the legalities of the FEIS, which include a 10-day waiting period that expires on Aug. 25. Mitigating factors relating to rock blasting and rock crushing, particularly as they relate to a nearby bed and breakfast, were reviewed Monday night. Innkeeper Valarie Hale, owner of Le Petit Chateau, has expressed concern that extensive blasting and crushing will deter customers from visiting her inn. Town Board members are also concerned that re-contouring the land will be more extensive than necessary, and encouraged minimizing re-contouring and developing the land to fit existing topography.
Michael Dupree, chairman of the Hyde Park Planning Board, asked developers to stake the St. Andrews site to allow Planning Board members to walk through the parcel. Dupree also discussed a mention in the FEIS of the potential for an underpass on Route 9 connecting to the development. “It could take a significant amount of acreage to make this possible,” said Dupree. According to Pierre Gagne, a decision to build an underpass would ultimately fall into the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation.