ABOUT THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT   |    THE ISSUES AND IMPACTS    |    SOLUTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES
DOCUMENT DOWNLOADS   |    WHAT YOU CAN DO    |   CONTACT US
Save the Lakes is a member of the Shawangunk Ridge Coalition.
Why Should You Care About This Development Project?

Are you concerned about escalating property and school taxes, overdevelopment, rapid environmental degradation, increasing traffic congestion and loss of community character?

We at Save the Lakes are convinced that Hudson River Valley Resort's plan to build a gated resort community on Rosendale's beautiful Williams Lake property would bring about all these impacts.

Development is a good thing, when it is appropriate development. Please spend the time to familiarize yourself with the information provided here, and join with us in charting a prosperous future for our region - a future that finds no use for overdevelopment and security gates, and preserves our outdoor treasures as community assets.
SAVE THE LAKES MISSION STATEMENT
To protect the natural resources of all the land included in the Williams Lake property and preserve it in perpetuity for the region. We work to insure that the future of Rosendale is planned in concert with community needs and values. We research information and provide data to the public and to area decision-makers.
STL's well-reseached concerns about the proposed project are many, and include:
  • Ominous tax implications for town residents due to added pressure on assessed property values, on the local public schools, on use of local infrastructure, as well as the political power of a private community within the town with wealth that dwarfs that of other residents.


  • A projected 933% increase in water consumption and treated effluent flowing into a state-protected wetland. This project threatens the aquifer and can negatively affect the ecosystems, water levels and water quality of the lakes.


  • Heavy construction and blasting pose serious threats to the survival of the endangered Indiana Bat - already suffering alarming declines due the the "white-nose" fungus disease. The local bat population is critical to controlling mosquitoes and other troublesome insects.


  • Loss of biodiversity and habitat for other rare and endangered species in an area so biologically significant it has been cited for preservation in the both the New York State Open Space Plan and the Open Space Plan of Ulster County, as well as the Rosendale Comprehensive Plan of 2007. Allowing this property to be developed along the proposed lines runs contrary to the intent of these documents.


  • Loss of public access to Williams Lake, which for generations has been open for community events and the paying public. Security gates would effectively put an end to its role in the community, and "preserve" it as a private enclave.


  • Loss of the opportunity for a proper rail-trail link between New Paltz and Kingston - a rail-trail that could further the growth of an eco-tourism industry in the region, with Rosendale and Williams Lake perfectly situated to provide an exciting eco-tourism destination in keeping with community character.


  • What if the financing dries up once the ground has been broken?


Save the Lakes believes that there are alternatives to the current plan that would provide public access, assure tax revenues to the town, add no additional infrastructure burden due to overdevelopment, preserve community character and values, and protect the environment while creating a lasting community asset.
Please continue by choosing one of the six options listed below.
Thank you for your interest in this issue.

ABOUT THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT   |    THE ISSUES AND IMPACTS    |    SOLUTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES
DOCUMENT DOWNLOADS   |    WHAT YOU CAN DO    |   CONTACT US
Save the Lakes is a member of the Shawangunk Ridge Coalition.