Experts testify at hearing ahead of Wake Robin decision

Experts testify at hearing ahead of Wake Robin decision
Wake Robin Inn is located on Sharon Road in Lakeville.
Photo by John Coston

LAKEVILLE — Noise pollution continues to be a crux of the public hearing to expand the Wake Robin Inn. On Aug. 26, the fifth hearing session of the month and second-to-last in the statutorily defined window, the question arose: is any additional sound permissible at all?

Bennett Brooks, founding sound engineer of Brooks Acoustics Corporation and an expert hired by Wells Hill Road residents William and Angela Cruger in opposition to the project, said no: “I think all the experts agree that the project will be audible and that’s the criterion.”

Attorney Josh Mackey, who has represented the applicant Aradev LLC since its first appearance before the Planning and Zoning Commission last fall, countered Brooks: “The idea that nuisance within the regulations means anything that is audible to neighbors is simply ludicrous.”

He referenced air conditioning units, dogs barking and children playing as inevitable sounds in a residential neighborhood. Herb Singleton, a sound engineer with Cross-Spectrum Acoustics and the Commission’s third-party expert reviewer, agreed with Mackey, explaining that defining nuisance as any sound emission that can be heard by neighbors “gets dangerous very, very quickly” due to those complicating factors. He suggested that nuisance “implies a level of annoyance based on audibility,” rather than audibility itself.

It was the third hearing in a row in which sound took center stage in the discussion, with the focal point being what constitutes “nuisance,” as it appears in the town’s zoning regulation 803.2 for special permit approval: “The use shall not create a nuisance to neighboring properties, whether by noise, air, or water pollution; offensive odors, dust, smoke, vibrations, lighting, or other effects.”

A sound study commissioned by Aradev for its application and Singleton’s third-party review both stated that the noise produced by the redeveloped hotel would be below a nuisance level at the property boundaries. At the Aug. 12 hearing, though, neighbors countered that any additional noise intrusion onto their own properties would be against the regulations, as they are intended to “protect abutters and neighbors” from intrusion beyond what they are used to, as Bill Cruger put it. Brooks argued in his Aug. 26 testimony that “in terms of size and scope, this project is almost identical to the former application,” which Aradev withdrew in December due to a likely denial.

Brooks was one of three experts brought into the Zoom room on Tuesday evening to provide testimony against the proposed hotel development. The Crugers, who were intervenors in the 2024 round of hearings for the first iteration of the Inn redevelopment proposal, decided not to formally intervene again during this cycle. Instead, P&Z Chair Michael Klemens stated that the Commission decided to allow the Crugers’ experts to “engage in a dialogue” during the process, but without formal party status in the proceedings.

The other two presenters, wetland scientist George Logan of Rema Ecological Services and Brian Miller of Miller Planning Group, echoed Brooks in their testimonies that Aradev’s current application has not satisfactorily reduced the scale and intensity of the first proposal. Representatives of Aradev have continued to argue that the current plan, which reduces the total occupancy from 158 to 130 and downscales its build footprint, among other alterations, adequately address scale and intensity concerns raised by the Commission and the public.

Of Tuesday’s three-hour meeting, only 20 minutes were left for public comment, leading to a much-abbreviated session for residential input. Klemens announced that the next hearing session, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 4, at 6:30 p.m., will prioritize the public’s chance to speak.

Thursday is the last scheduled date for the public hearing, which state law deems must close on Sept. 9.

Latest News

Farm Fall Block Party returns to Rock Steady Farm
Rock Steady Farm during the 2024 Farm Fall Block Party. This year’s event returns Sept. 6.
Provided

On Saturday, Sept. 6, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Rock Steady Farm in Millerton opens its fields once again for the third annual Farm Fall Block Party, a vibrant, heart-forward gathering of queer and BIPOC farmers, neighbors, families, artists, and allies from across the Hudson Valley and beyond.

Co-hosted with Catalyst Collaborative Farm, The Watershed Center, WILDSEED Community Farm & Healing Village, and Seasoned Delicious Foods, this year’s party promises its biggest celebration yet. Part harvest festival, part community reunion, the gathering is a reflection of the region’s rich agricultural and cultural ecosystem.

Keep ReadingShow less
The art of Marilyn Hock

Waterlily (8”x12”) made by Marilyn Hock

Provided

It takes a lot of courage to share your art for the first time and Marilyn Hock is taking that leap with her debut exhibition at Sharon Town Hall on Sept. 12. A realist painter with a deep love for wildlife, florals, and landscapes, Hock has spent the past few years immersed in watercolor, teaching herself, failing forward, and returning again and again to the page. This 18-piece collection is a testament to courage, practice and a genuine love for the craft.

“I always start with the eyes,” said Hock of her animal portraits. “That’s where the soul lives.” This attentiveness runs through her work, each piece rendered with care, clarity, and a respect for the subtle variations of color and light in the natural world.

Keep ReadingShow less
Reading and recommendations from Carissa Unite of Oblong Books

Carissa Unite, general manager of Oblong Books in Millerton.

Provided

Carissa Unite of Millerton, began working at Oblong Books 16 years ago as a high schooler. She recently celebrated her eight-year anniversary as the general manager.

Unite’s journey at Oblong began even before she applied for her first position.An avid reader from a young age, she was a frequent customer at the store. During those years, Unite bonded with a former employee who encouraged her to apply for a position after connecting over their shared love of reading.

Keep ReadingShow less