February 21, 2017 Fallsburg’s Future Update

Dear Neighbors, We at Fallsburg’s Future send you warmest greetings for the holidays. We also want to give you a little year-end update and peer into 2017. As we mark our first year, we are struck at the impact our small group of concerned citizens has had on the difficult issues concerning Fallsburg’s future. Perhaps our biggest accomplishment is rallying neighbors to attend Town Board meetings during the year. For sure, the Town Board has taken notice of residents’ renewed interest in its work and, we suspect, is appreciative of the demonstration of support for doing the right thing around the town’s development.

The good news is that we think Board members do indeed want to do the right thing. On a more mundane level, we feel we have established Fallsburg’s Future as a presence in the complex landscape of debates, specifically as they relate to residential development, the environment, and the process of updating the town’s Comprehensive Plan designed to guide Fallsburg’s development. Our participation in public events (e.g. Kite Day in June and the What the Hill Day in August) and petitions that we circulated to our growing (200+) mailing list gave the Town Board support for its decision to establish a one-year Moratorium on authorization of big residential developments.

We have made it clear that we feel these developments are overwhelming the infrastructure, environment, rural character and diversity of our town. With the Moratorium in place, we rallied against waivers that virtually all the developers requested. The Board recognized the validity of just four of 22 “variances”. And we are actively participating in the new Comprehensive Plan Committee (CPC). One of our members, Rebecca Pratt, is a representative on the CPC. Together we are formulating recommendations that the Town Board can take forward by the middle of 2017. We will advise you of all the CPC meetings in advance so you can attend as they are open to the public (the next CPC meeting is January 5).

We have created a website (fallsburgsfuture.com) where you can find more information about us as well as links to public information that is crucial to making informed decisions about Fallsburg’s future. We aim to have information in Spanish and Yiddish as well. We have reached out to the media and other community organizations that have been very supportive in spreading the word. We want the website to become a center for discussion and information. We are plugging into various networks at the town and county levels. Our members are attending workshops that educate citizens about the complex issues around the Town’s development, including environmental concerns, especially water, and zoning, accountability and code enforcement. While we are confident that we can have an even greater impact (especially around the recommendations and eventual implementation of the Comprehensive Plan), we remind you all that you are Fallsburg’s Future.

Please participate in this educational process and attend Town Board and CP meetings. We also welcome you to join FF’s committees where you can bring your particular expertise, whether it be on environmental issues, legal and legislative initiatives, media and community outreach. And pass this message along to interested residents. We are sure that there are enough concerned citizens to build a powerful movement to ensure a sustainable and healthy future for our town. Please join us and be sure your voice is heard! Gerald Faucher, Evadne Giannini, Steve Gordon, Tina Hazarian, Paul Hoeffel, Karen Luse, Brian Manown, Regina Moné, Rebecca Pratt