Legislators Updated on Development Initiatives

By Rob Sample

A luxury boutique-style hotel complex and a senior housing development are the most promising projects under way in Putnam County, according to the president of the county’s Economic Development Corporation – and that doesn’t even take into account acres of warehouses and other industrial buildings, Kathleen Ables told the Putnam County Legislature at its May 15 Economic Development Committee meeting.

Her presentation forecast a positive future for development in the county – while recognizing a host of challenges that must be met.

Plans for a Patterson lodging development show a 120-room, four-story, Adirondack-style boutique hotel with hiking trails, grotto, conference center, and a wedding venue. “The artists’ renderings are just stunning,” said Abels. “It will look like some of the places I’ve stayed out west at national parks.”

On the housing front, Toll Brothers has taken over the 150-unit Gateway Summit 55-and-older complex adjacent to the Centennial Golf Club in Carmel. “The units are supposed to be very upscale, and the views are amazing,” said Abels. “Ten percent of it has to be affordable… Toll Brothers is a national company, and they do very nice work.”

Nearby, work proceeds on a new development of multifamily homes at 119 Seminary Hill Road. Once complete, it will consist of 50 units, including 33 townhomes and 17 cottages.

In the industrial category, a project that bears watching is at 54 Bowen Road in Carmel. It includes some frontage on Route 52 and extends partly into the Town of Kent. “It’s right by Interstate-84, so they’re marketing it as an industrial development opportunity,” said Abels.

In Patterson, McGrath Realty is working with a client who wants to develop a data center on Valley Hack Road. The center would total approximately 10,500 square feet and employ 36 people.

“My concern with that is data centers require a lot of electricity – I mean, literally, gigawatts,” said Abels. “I think Hoover Dam can produce two gigawatts. And what about the delivery system? That parcel of property would be served off the Haviland Hollow substation. It’s not a bad substation… But that’s a lot of electricity.”

The parcel once housed several area summer camps and encompasses a wastewater treatment plant. “It has three of four abutting parcels and has a whole lot of potential,” she said.

Legislator Greg Ellner, R-Carmel, asked Abels to query New York State Electric & Gas about the proposed data center. “Do you have transmission lines available to meet what the requirements are, and does the substation have enough excess capacity?” were the questions he posed for NYSEG. “If not, we shouldn’t even be messing with it.”

Abels noted that there is a transmission line on the west side of Route 22 that extends from Croton Falls to Pawling. She said she’d need to reach out to NYSEG to see if the proposed data center could tap into it and whether its capacity would be sufficient.

A whopping six warehouse proposals are being considered in the Town of Southeast. Abels described these as a mixed blessing because they don’t employ large numbers of workers. What’s more, when communities become saturated with warehouses, they occasionally must be repurposed – and doing so can be challenging because they’re designed not to accommodate large numbers of people; hence, those redevelopers must create additional septic service.

“And they don’t really pay well,” said Abels.

Legislator Dan Birmingham, R-Brewster, noted that while data centers do not tend to be large employers, they do tend to be highly valued as businesses, which would be good news for the county’s tax base.

“Rockland County is booming with data centers,” he said. “Although not a job creator, they’re a great thing for ratables (which would be good) for expanding our economy and the ability to property taxes.”

In addition to the warehouse proposals, the New York State Police is constructing a 6,000-square-foot barracks nearby.

Also in Brewster, The Vanguard Group is building a two-story office building and warehouse for investment workers.

The $40 million Alexandrion distillery under construction in Carmel hit a major speed bump recently when the company’s founder died at the age of 59. “However, one of his sons is supposed to take over,” noted Abels.

On the county’s western end, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare complex in Philipstown is still reeling from the loss of funding earlier this year from the National Endowment for the Arts. The complex had broken ground last year on its new space, and the theatrical concern is now raising funds to make up for the loss of $10,000 in NEA funding.

On other fronts, White Plains-based Burke Rehabilitation has expressed an interest in opening an outpatient site in Putnam. The organization has a variety of stipulations, including that the building occupy just one story and have plenty of parking.

“That would be a wonderful service to our community,” said Abels. “They would be a five-star tenant. They’ll do a five-year lease with two renewables.”