For Immediate Release: July 3, 2014
Contact:
Keith P. McKeever | Public Relations | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 891-4050
RAY BROOK, NY - On Thursday, July 3, 2014 the State of New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department unanimously upheld the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) approval of the Adirondack Club and Resort. In its decision, the Court indicated there was substantial evidence to support APAs approval. The Court found that APA had established an extensive record thorough its review process which included rigorous consideration by the Agency Board during three monthly Board meetings from November 2011 to January 2012, a multi-year adjudicatory hearing, numerous mediation sessions, public informational meetings and a carefully conducted staff review process. Ultimately the APA issued a project order and fourteen permits for the various project components strongly conditioned to protect the environment.
Chairwoman Leilani Ulrich stated, "The Adirondack Park Agency is pleased with the Appellate Division's ruling regarding the Adirondack Club and Resort project. Today's ruling validates the Agency's thorough and extensive review process which ensures responsible development with strong environmental protections. I applaud APA staff and the Agency Board for their professionalism and attention to detail. We believe this project will be a transformational economic development opportunity for Tupper Lake and the entire Adirondack Park. We now look forward to working with the community to bring this project to fruition."
The project order and fourteen permits for the Adirondack Club and Resort are heavily conditioned to limit the negative environmental impacts of this project.
The project sponsors must strictly comply with the NYS Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers Act for any activities in the Raquette River recreational river area.
The project will protect as open space approximately 5,400 acres of land, or 86% of the entire project site. Deed restrictions will preserve approximately 4,600 acres of Resource Management lands on the project site, protecting open space and wildlife resources.
Implementation of approved grading, drainage, site layout, erosion and sediment control, on-site wastewater treatment, road and stormwater plans will protect soil, surface water and groundwater resources on the project site.
The project sponsor made significant changes to the original site plan design including the elimination of a neighborhood proposed on steep slopes with poor soils for on-site septic systems as well as removing a proposed shooting school due to noise concerns.
Project visibility is minimized through the use of building footprint and height limits, vegetative cutting limits, use of earth tone exterior finish materials and requiring outdoor lighting to be shielded and angled downward.
APA Executive Director Terry Martino said, "We strongly believed our review resulted in permits which were conditioned to avoid any negative environmental or community impacts. I am very proud of the outstanding work completed by Agency staff to address critical environmental concerns and ensure the necessary safeguards are in place. We appreciate the courts validation of our process. We wish the project sponsor and the community of Tupper Lake much success."
The Adirondack Club and Resort Project will be built in the Town of Tupper Lake, Franklin County inside the Adirondack Park. The project centers around the revitalization of Big Tupper Ski Area, a much-beloved community treasure. The developers plan to construct 206 single family dwellings, 125 multi-family dwellings and a 60 room inn. Plans also include redevelopment of a marina and the refurbishment of the Big Tupper Ski Area including ski lodge, ski lift and ski trail improvements.
Construction of the Adirondack Club and Resort is projected to last 15 years. During that period, the project applicant has projected a total of $142,470,407 of direct construction wages will be paid stimulating an additional $319,133,713 in earned income for workers employed in related industries. An average annual workforce of 307 employees is estimated to be employed in the construction of the resort elements and residential units.
At full operation, the Adirondack Club and Resort is projected to employ 236 full-time workers. The regional impact of this employment is predicted to exceed $7,300,000 in yearly secondary wage impacts. In addition, the re-opening of the ski center is projected to attract 100,000 skier visits a year resulting in $22.6 million in additional tourism revenue.
The mission of the Adirondack Park Agency is to protect the public and private resources of the Adirondack Park through the exercise of the powers and duties of the Agency as provided by law. For more information, call the APA at (518) 891-4050 or visit www.apa.ny.gov.
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