By Michael Ryan
WINDHAM- Optimism is being expressed that a mutual understanding will be reached between the town of Windham and the Windham Mountain Club on the ski slope’s controversial Master Plan.
Ski slope officials, with their engineering and legal team, are expected to attend a local planning board public hearing on August 15, continuing a cumbersome approval process that got derailed earlier this year.
Events leading up to the public hearing (to be held at the Centre Church on Main Street in Windham, at 7 p.m), are detailed in our “Better Than Hearsay” column in this week’s Mountain Eagle.
And while the approval process is solely in the hands of the planning board, an unprecedented agreement linking the town and the ski center will apparently be part of the revised Master Plan.
The Master Plan and the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) requirements linked to it contain the following key elements:
“Windham Mountain Partners has submitted applications for subdivision review and site plan approval in connection with a proposed development”…the document states.
The housing and recreational Master Plan includes:
—Construction of sixty-six (66) residential units (46 Townhouses and 20 single-family house lots).
—Expansion of and construction of additional facilities at the Applicant’s existing Adventure Park.
—Expansion of an existing golf course (known as the Windham Golf Club) and associated maintenance facilities and changes to and expansion of the
Applicant’s existing ski area, including private membership club, provisions for long term public access, and expansion and renovation of existing uses
including the base lodge and food services.”
The document continues: “the Applicant’s ski area and associated resort facilities have historically [been] and continue to remain critical to the Town’s local economy and sense of place.
“Multiple studies, including the Town’s Comprehensive Plan and Greene County Comprehensive Economic Development Plan, point to the Applicant’s ski area as a “key asset” and economic engine of the Town.
“The [Master Plan] project involves expansion of the Applicant’s private club, including investment in these historically important facilities but also a reduction in public access.
“The ski area will be limited to 4,000 skier visits, and private club members are expected to make up more than one-third of skier visits on peak days.
“In addition, the Golf Course will no longer be open to the public, and other existing facilities, such as mountain biking trails in the project area, may be eliminated or replaced.
“To mitigate this impact, the Applicant proposes the following:
—It will continue to allow access to a similar number of guests on peak days as the 2023-24 season (4,000 skiers on peak days).
—It will continue to sell daily tickets, multi-day tickets, and season passes to the public as part of the Project.
—Based on the information provided by the Applicant and included in the record, this equates to approximately 2,500 tickets (at a minimum) that would be available to the public.
—It will continue to guarantee tickets to any guest staying in 7 local lodging properties as well as the Winwood Inn and Condos.
—It will continue to provide free winter season passes to students of the Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School and continue its partnership with the Adaptive Sports Foundation, the Windham Foundation and the SHRED Foundation.
“The Applicant has represented that it will confirm its commitment to these mitigation measures in a Development Agreement with the Town of Windham,” the document states.
“It is anticipated these commitments will also be reflected in conditions to any local permits or approvals that are granted for the Project.
“With this mitigation incorporated in the Project design, public access to the ski area in the future will not be eliminated; it will be maintained at this level to ensure public access to this important recreational resource.
“Maintaining public access to the ski area also mitigates potential impacts to businesses that line the Town’s historic Main Street and add to the area’s distinct character.
“With commitments to maintain a minimum level of public access to the ski mountain incorporated into the Project, other local business will continue to make investments in upkeep and improvements of this vitally important community center and hub of community and economic activity.”
In regard to parking, the Master Plan states: “the Project involves a combination of improvements to existing parking facilities, redevelopment of existing parking facilities and construction of new facilities.
“According to information supplied by the Applicant, the number of existing parking spaces is 1,920 and is expected to decrease by a total of 286 to 1,634 as a result of the Project.
“The Applicant’s parking plan shows that parking will be provided at the Residential Development site at a rate of three (3) spaces per unit, or 198 spaces for the proposed sixty-six (66) units.
“Public parking, therefore, will be reduced by a total of 484 spaces, or about 25%. According to information supplied by the Applicant, each owner of the sixty-six (66) units will be offered membership in the proposed expanded private club which will likely offset the loss of public parking.
“The Applicant has supplied a parking plan and narrative illustrating a
requirement, at a maximum 4,000 skier visits, for between 1,082…and 1,487 vehicles…on peak days.
“As a result of the Project, the proposed 1,627 total spaces should be
sufficient to accommodate the number of vehicles for a 4,000 skier peak day, with about 1,429 spaces available for the public and 198 available for club members,” the document states.
The updated Master Plan, as it relates to the SEQR process, is available for viewing in its entirety on the town of Windham website.
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