The Goals
As of June 2024, we have two primary goals:
1) Urge the Cairo Planning Board to make a positive SEQRA declaration for this project.
2) Demand the developers pause all “exploratory” drilling and testing on the project site until a comprehensive well-monitoring program is established in coordination with the affected public, and financial protections are in place with both the town and individual property owners.
A “positive SEQRA” means the board will correctly acknowledge that this project could lead to significant adverse environmental impacts in Cairo, and therefore requires a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Without a comprehensive EIS process, residents of Cairo will be extremely vulnerable to potential issues such as well-water shortages, contaminated drinking water, a rise in vehicle crashes, road deterioration, increase in flooding and erosion, and other health and safety issues. And if any of these things happen to you or your property, you will have NO RECOURSE with the developer or the town to make things right.
An EIS will help protect Cairo taxpayers when things go wrong or bad things happen. That’s why we need to pause “exploratory” work: things are already going wrong. People are reporting issues with their well water and there’s no monitoring system in place.
Please join us in demanding the Cairo Planning Board immediately make a positive SEQRA declaration to do right by the community they serve to protect.
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A few months earlier, the goals below were printed as a letter to the Cairo Planning Board and submitted for official public comment on 3/7/24. Thank you to everyone who signed the letter!
Friends of Round Top is not against development or progress, and we support a resort on this property. However, this particular proposal appears to be an over development and does not match the goals in the existing comprehensive plan for Cairo. This is a significantly complex proposal with both process issues and technical issues. Friends of Round Top and the residents of Cairo respectfully request that the Cairo Planning Board complete the following due diligence investigations as required by Site Plan Review Law before closing the public hearing period and before making a SEQRA declaration.
Will the Cairo Planning Board require the applicant to re-submit their proposal for zoning approval based on what it truly and technically is: A mixed-use development that includes a hotel AND a significant number of single-family residences that will be sold individually and "owned in fee simple”? According to Cairo Zoning Law, these mixed-use residences should qualify as a “major subdivision” and should be evaluated as such.
The special-use permit application submitted to the Cairo Zoning Officer on 12/21/23 by the developer was lacking information and clarity. It stated the only use would be “tourist resort/spa and hotel” and did not disclose any plans for individually-owed residential units. Additionally, it was presented as a simple “redevelopment” of an existing resort; in fact it is a change from a small golf resort with 24 bedrooms to a major cluster subdivision with 264 bedrooms. A cluster development such as this still has to follow rules for green space and density limitations. The Cairo zoning laws from 2015, found on the Cairo website address these concerns well under the "Planned Resort Development” section. How and why were these zoning rules dropped in 2017?
Per Cairo Site Plan Review Law, a Public Hearing is not scheduled until the Planning Board accepts a “preliminary site plan application” as complete. Yet the Planning Board scheduled the Public Hearing on the exact same day (1/4/24) they first received the application. The application the Planning Board accepted was (and still is) missing dozens of submission requirements, including and not limited to: submitted permits to all county, state and federal involved agencies; description of the method of securing and treating water; estimated project construction schedule and cost; stormwater management plan; wetlands delineation map; stormwater pollution plan; existing and proposed stream conditions. The Environmental Assessment Form Part 1 is full of inaccuracies and incomplete information.
The Cairo Planning Board scheduled a Public Hearing with a significantly incomplete application. The Public Hearing opens the 62-day (maximum) public comment period; once the Planning Board closes the public comment period they must deliver an approval or rejection decision to the applicant.
Will the Cairo Planning Board commit to keeping the public hearing open until all application materials have been submitted and the public has had sufficient time to review them?
Is the Cairo Planning Board capable of evaluating the full application and studies that go with a development of this size, or will the Cairo Planning Board commit to hiring independent engineers, hydrologists, and other experts as needed to evaluate the completed application? Will the Board commit to requiring the applicant to pay for this service by putting funds in escrow?
Will the Cairo Planning Board officially acknowledge and correct their filing of this application as “old business” rather than “new business” on January 4, 2024, as well as update the official intent of the project from “renovations and site improvements” to “redevelopment and expansion”?
Will the Cairo Planning Board commit to making a positive SEQRA declaration and send the applicant through scoping? Given the scale and complexity of this Type I project, the project clearly presents potential for significant adverse impacts to the environment and infrastructure and should therefore require an Environmental Impact Statement.
Will the Cairo Planning Board commit to hiring an independent expert to conduct a comprehensive assessment of water demand for this project? The model must include guest use, staff use, construction, facilities, maintenance, and all associated and auxiliary amenities (spa, pools, restaurants, bars, grounds, laundry, etc). We demand the numbers used reflect maximum usage, not average, and be based on the total number of people on the premises, not just guests. The data should reflect peak summer water demand, a period that historically corresponds with both droughts as well as extreme rain events. Will the Board commit to requiring the applicant to pay for this service by putting funds in escrow?
Will the Cairo Planning Board and applicant commit to scheduling 72-hour well tests during drought conditions in the summer? Will the Board commit to requiring the applicant to 1) allow an independent hydrologist to monitor the well tests, and 2) pay for these service by putting funds in escrow?
Will the Cairo Planning Board require the applicant to identify their contractors and confirm what percentage of work the applicant guarantees will be performed by Town of Cairo businesses or Greene County businesses? The applicants have said their project will bring jobs to the area—will they commit to designating a certain number of jobs to local workers and businesses?
Will the Cairo Planning Board commit to hiring an independent hydrologist to conduct comprehensive aquifer and groundwater assessments that evaluate how this project’s water demands will affect the water table and well-water availability for the surrounding residents and business owners of Round Top and Cairo? Aquifers vary greatly by location and the developer has not provided information about the aquifer at hand. The well map submitted in the application is woefully inaccurate—it is missing dozens, if not hundreds, of wells in the vicinity. Will the Board commit to requiring the applicant to pay for this service by putting funds in escrow?
Will the Cairo Planning Board require the applicants to submit thorough details about the design, resource demands, and maintenance of the wastewater treatment plant before issuing a SEQRA declaration? The current proposal does not include numbers for treatment of the existing facilities that are being kept for staff workers or construction workers, and the existing SPEDES permit for sewage disposal expired in 2015. Will the Cairo Planning Board hire an expert who specialize in this area to advise on the review? Will the Cairo Planning Board create an official contingency plan specific to oversight and enforcement of regulations?
Will the Cairo Planning Board require the applicant to pay for a comprehensive, third-party Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), as well as a Visual Impact Statement? Both evaluations must take into account the interests of Round Top/Cairo as well as the interests of Catskill State Park, which abuts the property.
Will the Cairo Planning Board commit to an EIS public hearing and comment period?
Will the Cairo Planning Board commit to a “thorough investigation and delineation of wetlands” under control of the US Army Corps of Engineers as required by the Greene County Planning Board referral?
The residents along the roads leading to the resort think that the traffic numbers reported in both the original proposal by KARC and the second traffic report by Crieghton Manning are bogus guesses. There has never been a car going by these houses every minute during peak hours. Indeed, the consultant admits they did not use DOT data for Blackhead Mountain Road and Crows Nest Road because no data exist. Will the Cairo Planning Board commit to new Traffic Impact Statement that doesn’t simply “guess” at existing traffic, and evaluates weekend traffic when the resort will be busiest, not just weekday traffic? The residents and businesses on Crows Nest Road demand Crows Nest Road is not forgotten in the traffic studies—the truck and service entrance will be on our road, and our safety is currently being ignored.
Will the Cairo Planning Board and Cairo Town Board commit to explaining to the public how, exactly, this proposed project will be a net benefit to the residents and businesses of Cairo and Round Top? Will the Planning Board and Town Board address major discrepancies between this project and the goals/threats in the Cairo Comprehensive Plan?
Will each elected official of the Cairo Town Board commit to telling us on the record where they stand on this proposed project and how they see it fitting with town goals?
Will the Town of Cairo commit to delivering their tax assessment for this property as well as how they plan to use the funds before the application is approved?
Will the Cairo Planning Board commit to disclosing if the applicant is seeking any tax breaks? If they are not taxed at full value for many years, it could end up costing the town money when increased demand on fire, police, emergency services and roadway costs are factored in. The resort’s capacity could easily double the population of Round Top.
If there is no tax PILOT program, will the developer/owner agree not to challenge the town's tax assessment for a period of at least 10 years? If the town does not protect itself, the developer will drag the town into court in its first year to challenge the assessment, costing the town tens of thousands in dollars in attorney fees only to have the case settled for far less taxable value.
Will the Cairo Planning Board require the applicants to establish an escrow account to protect Cairo taxpayers from bearing the financial burden of replacement, malfunction or remediation of the wastewater treatment plant, and make this account a requirement of any ownership transfers?
Will the Town of Cairo and the Cairo Planning Board take this opportunity to open an official conversation about the threat of mega-developments in our area and clarify an updated town vision? The Cairo Comprehensive Plan is over 20 years old.
Will the Cairo Planning Board require the developer to provide a comprehensive description of the “intent” of this proposed project, as well as a building-by-building breakdown? We demand a detailed description of all structures on the site plan, per site review law. Will the Cairo Planning board require the developer to commit to a number of branded residencies (aka units privately owned in fee simple) before making a zoning determination for this proposal?
Will the Cairo Planning Board require the developer to provide market studies and economic feasibility studies to provide evidence that this project is economically viable? What are the developers using as comps in the Catskills?
Will the Cairo Planning Board demand that Courtemanche, Chick, and KARC (their consultants) disclose any form of Six Senses/IHG involvement in this project, including consulting and brand licensing? What exactly, if any, is Six Senses role is in this project, and if not Six Senses, which brand is involved? If Six Senses/IHG is involved and pulls out, what do Courtemanche and Chick plan to do with property? Who are the silent partners in addition to Courtemanche and Chick?
Will the Cairo Planning board commit to transparency in communicating their review process, and clarifying what official stage we’re at in the process?
Will the Cairo Planning Board provide an official timeline so that the public remains informed?
Will the Cairo Planning Board commit to becoming—and staying—compliant with NY Open Government Laws regarding the deadlines for posting agendas and meeting minutes?
Will the Cairo Planning Board require the developer to pursue air-pollution assessments and seek appropriate EPA and/or DOH permits for wood-burning stoves? The architectural sketches show houses with wood stoves. We are surprised to see these stoves in the plans considering the developer touts itself as extremely environmentally conscious—wood-burning stoves emit the highest levels of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere compared to other energy sources. Adding a high-density of wood-burning stoves to our environment will also increase toxic particulate matter and increase air pollution.