While the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) doesn”™t really mean “don”™t expect immediate satisfaction” for developers, it sometimes turns out that way, as developers of a proposed luxury resort in Rosendale are learning.
Under  New York State environmental law, the DEIS sets the stage for issues developers must act on before proceeding to building, but last month a proposed luxury resort on the property of the former Williams Lake Hotel had its DEIS deemed inadequate and returned for more work.
On  April 23, state officials announced they considered the DEIS submitted by Hudson River Valley Resorts to have insufficient information for an in-depth review of effects it would have on the sensitive project environment, particularly regarding subsurface water flow and effects on rare wildlife around the property.
Hudson River Valley Resorts wants to build a 94-room hotel, 22 lakefront suites, 14 cabins, 101 attached single-family residential units and 59 detached single-family residential units on part of the 779-acre property off Binnewater Road.?Under the plan, a conservation easement would remain on about 400 acres and about 52 acres would be affected by development along Binnewater and Hickory Bush roads.?State officials wrote that major deficiencies in the environmental impact statement included the absence of approved wildlife survey protocols to accurately assess the impact of the project.?They also said the developers have not followed recommendations that water levels in the Binnewater lakes get close attention. The chain of lakes has complex hydrological links.  ?“The Department (of Environmental Conservation) has determined that the draft (environmental impact statement) is inadequate for the purpose of commencing a public review,” wrote Rebecca Crist, a state environmental analyst. She said the developers must hire a specialist in site-present karst formations where, typically, limestone has been dissolved by water to garner and present more information.
Hudson River Valley Resorts project manager Tim Allred could not be reached for comment.
