By Robert Sample
At its bimonthly meeting on Monday, August 7, the Marlborough Planning Board got a preview of plans to significantly expand Milton’s Buttermilk Falls Inn and Spa Complex.
The proposal calls for the construction of a new 65-room hotel facility and banquet hall at the top of the sloping property. Owner Bob Pollock also plans to build 35 guest cabins, which are being dubbed “treehouses” to emphasize their treetop views. Pollock also plans to expand Henry’s At The Farm, its current restaurant, and ultimately add two to three additional dining spots.
Buttermilk Falls first opened its doors in 2004 and currently can accommodate a total of 54 guests. The site was a colonial trading post in the late 1600s, and during Milton’s early days became the location of a mill and store. The project developers aim to preserve that history as well as the natural beauty of the surroundings.
“This is a very old growth forest, and we’ve placed all of the new cottages in it without destroying any of those trees,” noted Barry Medenbach, a principal with the civil engineering firm of Medenbach & Eggers, Stone Ridge, NY.
“There are no wetlands on the property,” Medenbach continued. “We also had a biologist come to the site to search for endangered species. None were found.”
Medenbach pointed out that the proposal includes a stormwater management plan, septic systems and a new entrance to the complex. That new entrance was approved by Marlborough’s Building Department under a separate proposal.
The property slopes from west to east, and the hotel’s design will take advantage of that. The hotel building will be two stories high on its west side but will go down one additional story on its east.
“We’re always concerned about our environmental impact,” said New York City’s Warren Freyer, the project’s architect. “We’ve worked very hard to site all our buildings within the existing terrain.
Two board members raised traffic concerns. “I’m concerned about a lot of traffic exiting Buttermilk Falls after a wedding,” noted board member Fred Callo, adding that a line of perhaps 25 vehicles would have a long wait at the traffic light at the intersection of Milton Turnpike and Route 9W.
Board member James Garofalo said the designers need to keep a close eye on overall traffic in the area. The state’s traffic-control guidelines call for limiting traffic growth to 2 percent annually.
Other proposals approved
The board also approved three projects that had been presented in detail at planning meetings over the past three months. It also approved an attestation that none of the three projects pose environmental issues as outlined by the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). The three projects are:
• A proposal by Mazzola Oil Service to upgrade its facilities at 1871 Route 9W in Milton. Those plans include parking for nine oil delivery vehicles, lot striping and signage.
• A proposal by Keebomed, Inc., to construct a facility at Old Indian Road and Route 9W in Milton, across from the Ship Lantern Inn. Keebomed is a distributor of ultrasound equipment and plans to build a 200 by 40-foot storage and office facility on the site.
• A proposal by Zelda Matilda, Inc., to convert a 7,000 square foot agricultural building into a warehouse for storing apparel. The facility, located 255 Milton Cross Road, was last used for bottling juice. The board’s approval included a stipulation that no street parking would be allowed along Milton Cross Road.
The Board tabled a proposal from homeowner Carl Fredericks for his parcel at 420 Plattekill Road, Marlboro, N.Y. Fredericks wants to subdivide the property to enable his son to build an additional home at the site, and the proposal includes a new driveway approximately 500 feet in length.
However, Fredericks’ parcel lies in both the towns of Marlborough and Plattekill, and the Planning Board wants input from that town and Ulster County before proceeding. This will be obtained by consulting engineer Pat Hines by Friday, August 11, to allow sufficient time prior to the Board’s next meeting, scheduled for August 21.