The Consolidated Planning Board of the Town of Highlands heard from a Fort Montgomery property owner last week about his plans to convert the former Rockwell Automotive building (1005 Rt. 9W) into a cannabis processing facility.

Miguel Rosario has owned the building for a little over two years, he told the Planning Board in a ‘new business’ matter, and has operated a Ducati sales and service facility there. “But it wasn’t doing well,” Rosario said.

So, he put feelers out for other uses for the building – his main occupation is real estate – and found a potential tenant who wants to lease the building for 18 months while that company’s larger cannabis processing facility is being built in Middletown. The operation is a packaging plant and would in Fort Montgomery require a special use permit to change the property from commercial to industrial.

Rosario, with his consultant Phil Vurchio at the meeting, said it’s possible he’d be interested in getting a similar-use long term tenant into the building after the short-term lease concludes.

Planning Board Chairman Erik Smith told Rosario that the first thing that needs to be done is for the applicant – whether that is Rosario or the tenant – to provide a site plan for whatever is being proposed. Things such as parking (Rosario said he was working on a contract with the Holiday Inn Express for rooms and parking for some of the employees), security cameras, deliveries, lighting, signage, garbage removal, water use, etc. would need to be addressed before any type of public hearing on the change of use permit could be scheduled.

“Odor control is a big deal too,” Smith said, noting the property is less than 200 feet from residential properties. “That property is really close to its neighbors.”

“This is a worldwide brand,” Rosario said, “they know the space and know what they would need to do.” He stressed several times that the proposal is not for retail space, and “no outside personnel would be in the building”. Rosario said there would be no signage outside and no advertising.

Rosario added that he’d work with the potential tenants on all that the Planning Board asked, but reminded the board that he was only at the meeting to ask for the change from automotive to industrial usage of the building. “This is what we’re looking to do, but we’re not there yet,” he said. “We can’t attract a tenant until we make the change in the building usage.” With that, Smith reminded him that nothing could move forward until the Planning Board gets the site plan and other information they’d requested.

“Maybe we can set a public hearing at our next meeting if you get us like 90 percent of what we’ve asked for tonight,” Smith said.

In several other matters at the meeting, the board okayed a request for a one-year extension of an approved site plan for the Holiday Inn Express in Fort Montgomery. An additional hotel and restaurant are planned, but Vishal Patel, representing his family’s Kris Realty, Inc., said they are still working with both the Hilton Brand, and their architect, on the project.

As well, the board talked with Anthony Coneski, a senior Community Projects manager from Scenic Hudson about plans for their walking trail off Main St. in Highland Falls. Several things – signage, parking, etc. need to be finalized before a final site plan approval is given.

The board also worked with Fort Montgomery’s Church Pfeil, informally, on a Tamsen Lane erosion control permit.