The Village as posted a copy of the horse boarding text amendment proposal Zoning Board member Kurt Anderson presented to his fellow board members during last Thursday evening’s board meeting. A copy can be downloaded here.
It is unclear at this time when the Zoning Board will meet again to discuss the other horse boarding amendments previously submitted by residents and the Riding Club. Their next regularly scheduled meeting is October 20.
Now I see why the attorney told Freeman Anderson’s amendment needs to go to another public hearing. There are a LOT of changes in Anderson’s proposal from LeCompte’s original! Too many in my opinion to not to give residents their right to weigh in despite the fact the majority of the ZBA and BOT won’t listen to reason.
How can Anderson’s proposal even be entertained? Where is the resident opposition? I know that the basic tenets do not place any restrictions on the boarding issue? Basically they have unlimited rights and freedoms! Why don’t the residents who don’t have horses receive the same privileges?
If “Polo” Joe accuses the new temporary counsel Bond of having a conflict of interest, why then doesn’t K. Rosene and the author the revised LeCompte amendment also have a conflict? The ZBA attorney seems too reserved, and not able to render sound legal opnion in this matter. She should have clearly corrected this issue long ago. Why hasn’t it been pursued vigorously!
Messer’s bully tactics work and he uses his pulpit to attack. Meroni and Selman aren’t as schooled in the law, but they reinforce and parrot Messer’s every comment. Harrington is the disappointment, new to the BOT, but votes as he’s ordered and attacks the Village President every chance. He has shown no interest in working across the aisle or doing what is best for the entire community.
For a town of 4,000; we have BOT members who have no interest in working together, but to instead fight for their special interests alone. No statesman qualities in this crowd. Marty and Colleen tried, but they are learning what others already knew, Bob Abboud style politics is to crush your enemy at all costs. Anyone who tries to defend Abboud’s nominations after he lost the election has questionable ethics standards and does not deserve our public trust. Expected actions from a Village with no horse sense.
This all could have been handled so easily and cooperatively, but Freeman, Messer, Anderson, et. al. would not seek a reasonable solution without fixing Oakwood Farms retroactively. That’s why it’s a corrupt process and the Village will pay the price in the long run with big time litigation. Impossible to understand why they can’t see what they’re doing is so destructive to the Home Occupation heritage of neighbors’ rights.
The tax attorney’s boarding amendment places this major business activity under the “definition section” in our Village Code (“Agriculture”). BH zoning map approved every year by the BOT contains not a single parcel of land designated “Agriculture”.
If the tax attorney’s plan for BH is implemented, BH will have large business interests located adjacent too and competing directly with R1-R4 residential standards of living. No BH homeowner is saved from this unprecedented takeover; not even those living in [former] Middlebury or Paganica. By hijacking what little there remained of “process” last Thursday through 11th hour previously coordinated shennanigans, the tax attorney and his gang of 3 on the ZBA succeeded in the major first step of dismantling 60 years of responsible zoning practices by BH Village officials.
If approved, I wonder what BH’s zoning map will look like 10 years from now and whether the tax attorney will be around to apologize to BH residents for not only what he started; but the unethical manner in which he started it.
On a more positive note, Trustee Gohl (while an imperfect representative) has been on the record since 2011 saying he will not entertain any boarding text amendment which does protect the residents through “special use”. For all of Trustee Gohl’s foibles I have never known him to be a liar.
I am confident Trustee Gohl will stay true to his word realizing the obvious, the tax attorney handed us an edsel.
David Stieper, ZBA member