Carvel/Durst Updates
The proposal is for 951 new units (some houses are already on the property) on 2,200 acres mostly in Pine Plains, with a small part of the property in Milan. Read our latest briefing here. News and related updates are listed below.
“Downstate developer meets upstate resistance” from the Daily Freeman
February 10, 2008
By Patricia Doxsey, Freeman staff 2/10/2008
The lightly shaded area straddling the border of Pine Plains and Milan on this map is where the Durst Organization wants to build more than 950 homes.
DLC President Letter-to-Editor - Durst is “far from green”
October 10, 2007
Printed in the Poughkeepsie Journal on October 10, 2007Valley Views: Pine Plains plan is far from ‘green’ development By Becky Thorton October 10,2006I’ve been in the conservation land planning field for more than 20 years now, and I’ve seen all sorts of development and open space plans during that time. There seems to be a big difference between what I have been reading and hearing of the proposed Carvel development described as a compact project that preserves open space and what I see when I look at the plans made public to date.
Start by picturing the Carvel property in Pine Plains: 2,200 acres of beautiful, serene land and, with the exception of the existing golf course, a relatively undisturbed and open landscape. Read more
Experts Cite Flaws in Durst/Carvel Document
April 12, 2007
Pine Plains United retained three experts in land use to review the Proposed Draft Environmental Impact Statement submitted by Durst. They have reviewed relevant sections of the Durst/Carvel DEIS and found them flawed. We have also included a link to a Letter-to-the-Editor by Becky Thornton, president of the Dutchess Land Conservancy, critiquing Durst’s claim that this is a “green” development.
John Lyons, an attorney with Grant and Lyons; George Janes, a visual impact expert at the Environmental Simulation Center in New York City; and Lisa Nagle, a planner based in Saratoga Springs, have each submitted letters to the Pine Plains Planning Board questioning the assumptions and methodology behind the document and urging the board to delay any decision on completeness until the flaws are corrected. Read more
What are the Fiscal Impacts of Development
June 14, 2006
Forget for a moment the impact of the proposed Carvel-Durst development (which would effectively double the population of Pine Plains) might have on our rural quality of life. What will it do to our schools, our fire and emergency services, our roads, our taxes?
To answer those questions, or at least make some very educated guesses about them, Pine Plains United has hired Ken Bowers to, among other things, do a fiscal impact study. Ken is a respected economist and principal at Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates (www.ppsaplanning.com), a consulting firm specializing in community economic development.
You can view download and read this report using Acrobat Reader. Click here to download the Fiscal Impact Study. If you need to download Acrobat Reader, click here.
