Pine Plains businesses show support for Carvel

PINE PLAINS — Twelve Pine Plains businesses have publicly thrown their support behind the proposed Carvel Property Development project in an open letter. That letter was also used as part of the project’s advertising campaign and appeared last week as a full-page ad in The Millerton News.

"As local business owners we believe their plan for the Carvel Property will preserve what we love about Pine Plains and provide the economic life that we need. We encourage our fellow residents to support it," the letter stated.

It was signed by the following businesses: Casazza Construction; Cozzy’s Cafe; Crumpets; Grazzi Copy Shack; Lia’s Mountainview Restaurant; Liberta Bros. Inc.; Main Street Café; New England Hardwoods; Mountain Creek Modulars; Peddler’s Café; SL Group Inc.; and Smoke House Self Storage.

"The support of so many businesses in town is a pleasant surprise, and we’re truly impressed and pleased with this level of support," said the Durst Organization’s director of external affairs, Jordan Barowitz.

Barowitz shied away from directly answering the question of who initiated the letter used for last week’s advertisement.

"We have been talking to people in town about supporting the project for months and months," he said. "So the letter was a result of this back-and-forth process."

If the plan is approved as submitted, a total of 951 homes will be built on 2,200 acres of land purchased by real estate tycoon Douglas Durst in 2003. Of that land, 1,772 acres sit in the town of Pine Plains; the remaining 428 acres are located in the neighboring town of Milan.

The development is being marketed as a "green" second-home community, with a world-class golf course, club house and numerous other amenities. Barowitz said the project is anticipated to inject $32 million annually into the local economy.

"We very specifically designed the project to help revitalize the hamlet," he said. "They [the businesses that supported us], all know it’s very limited commercial activity on the site and that’s purposeful, because we know that the town and its comprehensive plan and the businesses very much want the hamlet of Pine Plains to be the economic center of the town."

"I think the town needs some growth, and Durst has a reputation of being very green, and he wants to do things in a high-class manner," local business owner and Carvel supporter Ed Cassaza said. "And I do believe that they will be mostly second-home residences, so they won’t affect the schools.

"I can see the local businesses are suffering and need some growth, and that’s the ideal spot to do something because it’s off in one corner of the town, right off the parkway," he added.

That location won’t keep residents from going into town for their basic necessities, according to Barowitz. And steady business is good for everyone, he said.

"The evidence is clear that if you bring people to a town they’re going to spend their money and do their shopping and patronize local businesses," he said. "It’s very limited commerce at the site. The plans are just for a small commissary, where you can get a loaf of bread or a quart of milk, but for any shopping at all people who will be visiting Carvel will go to town."

"It can stimulate the economy," agreed Lia’s Mountainview Restaurant’s Nicholas Mirto. "As a businessman, I think we need a little change around here. We need to have some extra people here in town. This has been the worst winter in the past 25 years. It’s really bad. Carvel can bring more jobs and more people around and I think it would be great for the community."

Brad Mitchell, owner of New England Hardwoods, echoed those thoughts.

"When you get down to it, everyone is reacting with fear: fear of change, fear of increased traffic, fear of something. Really, when you look at the facts, there isn’t a whole lot to be afraid of," he said. "Economically, this project would be a boon for Pine Plains. There would be workers who would bring business in to the community, and long-term after the workers are gone there would be an increased populace in Pine Plains, and that’s not necessarily bad. I think there’s a lot of positive results that will come about from this project."

Jane Waters, a member of grassroots community group Pine Plains United’s steering committee, disagreed.

"I think the people who don’t want it are looking at a wider point of view than just what might benefit their businesses. They have the same values as a lot of people in town of wanting to keep things rural, and this is inconsistent with that," she said. "Even with a scaled back version, their business would increase and they would be satisfied with that, other than something this overwhelming.

"The other danger is that sometimes small businesses wouldn’t be adequate to meet the needs of a community that’s double the size and would probably be squeezed out by larger businesses that come in and provide similar services," Waters added.