Letter to the Editor: Crossroads 312 Suit

An open letter to Examiner reporter David Propper:

Mr. Propper,

I’m a litigant named in your article, “Lawsuit Filed Against Southeast to Stop Crossroads 312 Project.”

In the article, you wrote that Councilman Cullen “did message a statement, defending his decision to support the project.” His statement read, in part, “This project that would have the first hotel in Putnam County is in the best interest of Southeast.” This phrasing implies that the litigants don’t support the construction of a hotel in Putnam County and want to block its presence in Southeast. This isn’t true.

I support the construction of a hotel to meet the needs of our community, as was possible under Rural Commercial (RC) zoning. What I don’t support is the zoning change from RC to Highway Commercial-1 (HC-1), which Councilpersons Cullen, Hudak, and Alvarez approved to accommodate one developer’s desire for a potential clone of The Highlands Center on Rt. 312, with more large-scale retail that threatens to turn Southeast into another Yonkers.

Furthermore, I believe the traffic and environmental impact studies Cullen cited don’t adequately address the concerns of Southeast residents, whose comments and petition signatures to the town board clearly favored maintaining RC zoning. Since The Highlands Center was built, and as recently as 2014, residents have worked hard to minimize the impact of overdevelopment on our small town by establishing and upholding RC zones in the town’s Comprehensive Plan. Cullen, Hudak, and Alvarez’s decision to rezone in opposition to public wishes violates the Comprehensive Plan and should be overturned.

Sincerely,

Helen Dorkin