VALATIE–The village moved one step closer this week to finalizing a deal for Mill Run, a new housing development on upper Main Street.
At Tuesday night’s regular meeting, the Village Board approved a motion allowing Mayor Gary Strevell to sign the agreement with the developer once village lawyer Robert Fitzsimmons and lawyer for Kinderkill Development work out the details.
Mr. Fitzsimmons said at the June 8 meeting that Mill Run is a large project with “lots of moving parts,” but he said the two sides are close to finalizing an agreement. The overall project proposes 89 residential units, “a mix of single family homes, duplex homes and townhouses,” according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The units would be built in several phases. Part of the project includes the replacement of water lines on upper Main Street/county Route 28A.
Mr. Strevell said that the lines need some upgrades, and the village will not take responsibility for water, sewer or road clearing until the project is complete.
The developer plans to build the housing units in four stages. Of the 73.3 acres only 17.4 will be developed and the rest is to be open space. Mr. Strevell said Kinderkill, the developer, plans to deed the land to the county Nature Conservancy.
The mayor said the board decided to charge $3,000 for each unit’s sewer hook-up, which is the standard fee, but will only charge $1,000 for water hook-ups, because the developer has agreed to replace the water lines. The board agreed with the developer to have each unit hooked up to the village water and sewer systems as soon as it is finished, whether or not the unit has been sold.
The board also approved a motion to name three of the four streets that will run through the first phase of the development. They decided on last names of families with long histories in the village. The streets will be named after the Beckers, the Freinbergs and the Barfords. “The three families that have given so much to the village,” said Trustee Paul Raihofer.
The topic of the roads generated a discussion about when the roads would become the responsibility of the village. Mr. Fitzsimmons assured the board that the village engineer will review all the roadwork, and the developer will only hand over the roads to the village when the work is complete.
Mr. Strevell said that the developer could also decide to keep the roads private.
Mr. Fitzsimmons said that there will be other issues throughout the process that will come back to the Village Board and the Planning Board, which has already been working this project for two years. Mr. Strevell said work could begin as early as next month.
The board will hold a public hearing before its next regular board meeting Tuesday, July 13, at 7:15 p.m. on a proposal to create a special assessment district for the new project.
Another issue the board discussed this week was the village Cleanup Day last month. Many people in the village put out unacceptable materials that the cleanup crew had to leave on the side of the street. The mayor called it a disaster. He said that next year the village plans to go back to having a controlled drop-off day at the transfer station. He described the result of Cleanup Day as “very disappointing.”
The board is also looking into updating the insurance policy that covers the village. The village has received two new insurance proposals and is waiting for one more. Board members will open and review the bids at a special meeting Tuesday, June 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the village hall.
For more information about upcoming events in the village, go to the village website, www.villagevalatie.com.
To contact reporter Emilia Teasdale email eteasdale@columbiapaper.com.
