Stony Point closes master plan public hearing

Town redirects $560K in “leftover” funds

BY MICHAEL RICONDA

Stony Point – The Stony Point Town Board hit a milestone on Tuesday night by closing the ongoing public hearing on the town’s master plan and paving the way for a vote on the long-delayed revisions.

After taking some final questions and comments from Stony Point residents, the Town Board voted unanimously to close the public hearing, ending about four months of inquiries and allowing progress toward a final vote on the plan, which has been characterized as progressing at a stop-and-go pace since 2006.

At this point, the minutes of all meetings related to the master plan will be gathered for a final decision, but public comments can still be addressed to the Town Board off-record. The board may vote on the plan as soon as two weeks from Tuesday, the scheduled date of their next meeting.

The master plan saw significant changes within the past few months, many related to the Stony Point Waste to Energy project, a proposed gasification plant on Holt Drive designed to convert solid waste into ethanol and electricity. Initially, the plan had no allowances for storage of solid waste, but provisions allowing temporary storage were included to permit the building of the plant in the town.

Though the gasification project had been withdrawn by developers, the provision remains as a clarification of language. In addition, the plan contains other provisions such as a zoning update for Holt Drive to allow mixed residential and business use of buildings and updates to hotel, motel and bed-and-breakfast regulations.

Other developments unrelated to the master plan include the announced receipt of advisory-based flood elevations of 14 feet to accommodate both state and federal regulations and the redirection of more than $560,000 in previously inaccessible funds left over from an Ambulance District building project which never occurred. The money will now be placed in a Building and Facilities Improvement Fund, where it will be accessible for various capital improvement projects.

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