View from Route 9D heading south

 

Getting opinions on different designs 

By Liz Schevtchuk Armstrong 

With a focus on consensus-building, Cold Spring’s charrette on the old Butterfield Hospital property this coming Saturday (April 14) will feature a look at the developer’s proposed plans for the site as well as some alternatives and a discussion of how the redevelopment fits in with the village’s Comprehensive Plan, village officials announced this week. On Thursday (April 12), to help the public visualize possibilities ahead of the charrette, the village also made available on the village website new drawings showing alternative development possibilities.

A public design and conceptualization workshop, the charrette is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, at the Haldane school music room, 15 Craigside Dr. The session is intended to allow residents to learn of the development plans proposed by the property owner, Butterfield Realty LLC, and “more importantly,” according to a news release from the village government, “to discuss how the site can be redeveloped so it is in line with the village’s recently adopted Comprehensive Plan.”

Outlined by Paul Guillaro of Butterfield Realty in late 2011, the initial design scheme for the tract generated questions about the size and appearance of the proposed buildings, which would make up a complex of apartments for modest-income senior citizens, more upscale condominiums for more affluent retirement-age buyers, and an intergovernmental municipal building, with room for the village post office as well, along with some retail-commercial space.  The project would require a zoning change and the village Planning Board has urged the Village Board to not consider that until the plans have been sufficiently modified. The Planning Board also seeks “to get residents involved in how the site should be designed,” stated the news release, disseminated by Village Clerk Mary Saari.

The charrette will have three components:

  • A short presentation on Butterfield Realty’s proposal
  • A discussion of the village’s vision for the site under the Comprehensive Plan
  • A presentation and discussion of alternative designs, artistic renderings, and development recommendations.

 “The hope is that a consensus will emerge from the design workshop, so the review process can then proceed and the site can be redeveloped as an asset for the village,” Cold Spring officials added in the news release.

View from Route 9D looking north

At a workshop meeting on April 2, when the Village Board decided to hold the charrette, Mayor Seth Gallagher described the event as a forum for getting residents’ “opinions on different ideas. It’s not a public hearing.” A hearing is a formal, procedure-driven session to obtain public reaction to a proposed change in a law or a similar major undertaking.

Ted Fink, of GreenPlan, the professional planning firm assisting the village government with the Butterfield project, and Ray Curran, a planner-illustrator, were both expected to attend the charrette.

Behind The Story

Type: News

News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Armstrong was the founding news editor of The Current (then known as Philipstown.info) in 2010 and later a senior correspondent and contributing editor for the paper. She worked earlier in Washington as a White House correspondent and national affairs reporter and assistant news editor for daily international news services. Location: Cold Spring. Languages: English. Areas of expertise: Politics and government

5 replies on “Village Schedules Butterfield Charrette for Saturday, April 14”

  1. I think you are creating confusion about the images in the article. Those came from the village as alternatives proposed by Ted Fink. I don’t think those are Guillaro’s plans.

    “At a community planning meeting scheduled for Saturday, April 14th at 10 am at the Haldane School music room, the Village of Cold Spring Planning Board and the Village Board of Trustees will be seeking public input on proposals for redevelopment of the Butterfield site. Ted Fink, Planner from GreenPlan Ray Curran, Planner/Illustrator will be presenting alternate designs and artistic renderings for the former Butterfield Hospital property.“

  2. I would have liked to attend but have work commitments. Will there be another date as well?

  3. Too bad there will be no video. There are alot of people who cannot attend. I as well. There seems to be some misunderstanding with the village about taping the meetings. I thought that all meetings pertaining to this project were to be taped.

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