Opinion on Rupco Project in Woodstock

http://rupco.org/
follow this link to learn about Woodstock Commons, proposed housing units for
Woodstock

Letter to the Editor,

Does Woodstock need senior and work force housing? Yes. Can we learn from how we solved the same problem in the past?
Beautiful wide open space, land worked by generations of Harder’s and Yerry’s, is now the Bearsville Gardens. Over fifty years ago, in response to the need for work force housing, “the Flats” development became home to over 100 families. The “Flats” has evolved from a thriving neighborhood with many school bus stops, each with 12- 15 children waiting to go to school, to a quiet neighborhood with more widows, older couples and singles than families. In the past five years, this affordable housing neighborhood has seen a slight increase in the number of young families moving in to it.
I would characterize the Bearsville Flats as a mature neighborhood, not only due to the age of the people who live there, but also to the beauty of the physical surroundings. Those of us who live there coexist with birds, squirrels, deer, snakes, bear, hawks, field mice, and countless more rural creatures.
If the Woodstock Commons project is approved, I believe a similar transition will take place. It is proposed that 75 % of the property will remain forever wild. The land will regenerate itself and the Commons residents will dwell in country surroundings.
A new wave of people flocked to Woodstock with the completion of the Zena Developments. Bigger homes on larger lots now stand where Dutch settlers once raised their families. Newcomers drawn here by IBM employment were viewed suspiciously by some locals, as agents of change. Roads were constructed and the city of Kingston School district built an elementary school in the growing neighborhood. Something unexpected occurred. The new residents became invested in the Woodstock community. They joined the fire company, rescue squad, became leaders in Rotary, the Lions club, volunteered in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, served on town committees and ran for political offices.
I recall vividly the vitriolic protests brought up against the Woodstock Meadows Housing Project. This was the first of many occasions where Woodstockers would be urged to choose between the people’s needs vs the needs of trees, shrubs and waterways.
I am grateful that the project succeeded. My mother and aunt, both local women, were able to remain in Woodstock as they transitioned to elderly infirm Woodstockers.
Thanks to the 1989 Zoning law, we’ve done a tremendous job of preserving Woodstock’s rural landscape. The 1998 Comprehensive Master Plan committee had the foresight to address what was identified as a need for planned workforce and senior housing growth. From the Comp Plan survey we learned that the outlying districts wish to remain as rural as they are.
How do we solve the senior and work force housing problem in 2009?
Let the Woodstock Planning Board know that you believe the Woodstock Commons Project will benefit Woodstock people now and in the future.

Janine Fallon – Mower
845-679-6744
jmower@hvc.rr.com