Huguenot Environmentalists Fight Deerpark Planning Board in Court
Approval of a New Century Film plan for a hotel, restaurant and theater, with 50,000 gallon per day sewage treatment system raised concerns.
By David Ofshinsky
A group of local environmentalists, Lower Huguenot Neighborhood Alliance, moved their opposition to the proposed New Century Film expansion into New York State Supreme Court on January 17. An Article 78 lawsuit was filed against the Deerpark Planning Board for their decision to issue a negative declaration on August 9, 2023, indicating that the plan is environmentally sound according to state standards, and then conditional site plan approval on September 13, 2023.
The project would add a 3,556-seat theatre, 500-seat restaurant, an 85-unit hotel, 1,329 parking spaces, and a new 50,000 gallons per day sewage treatment plant to the site at the intersection of Route 209 and Neversink Drive. Fourteen acres of land, roughly 35% of the 40-acre property would be disturbed by the construction.
The Alliance is led by former Deerpark councilman William Smith and represented by William Demarest and John Barone, of Rupp Pfalzgraf, LLC based in Albany. They contend that the project is in an environmentally sensitive area, as it is adjacent to the Neversink River and sits in both its 100- and 500-year flood plains. They contend that the Planning Board failed to comply with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) by not completing parts 2 and 3 of the Environmental Assessment Form (EAF), thus ignoring the potential for significant adverse environmental impacts of the project. They also challenge the Board’s issuance of an approval for a film screening hall, a use not listed in Deerpark’s zoning laws, contending that it is actually a movie house or social hall, which would require special approvals and permits. They raised additional concerns that the project will increase traffic, put a strain on the local water supply, and negatively impact the community’s character.
The group is asking that the NYS Supreme Court annual, vacate and void the decisions on the Negative Declaration and Conditional Site Plan. The Deerpark Planning Board has not yet responded to this action.
Community focused news can only succeed with community support. Please consider the various subscription levels.