For Immediate Release: March 12, 2021
Contact:
Keith P. McKeever | Public Information Officer | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 891-4050
Ray Brook, NY - At the March 12th, 2021 Agency Meeting, the Adirondack Park Agency Board approved the large-scale residential subdivision project P2018-0123 - Woodward Lake Subdivision. The project as conditionally approved involves the subdivision of 1,169± acres into 34 lots, yielding 32 building lots, one lot improved by an existing single-family dwelling, and one common lot. The total of all existing and proposed development, within all limits of clearing is 37± acres.
Thirty new single-family dwellings will be built in the Rural Use land use area and two new single-family dwellings will be constructed in the Resource Management land use area. Eighteen lots, plus the common lot, will have shoreline on Woodward Lake.
The project sponsor extinguished all remaining principal building rights associated with the project site as allocated under the density guidelines of the Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan. Twelve possible principal building rights will be terminated in the Resource Management area as well as 25 in the Rural Use area. This will result in a total of 37 less principal building rights used on this site.
"The Board's approval culminates an extensive and robust two-year review by Agency staff under the new large-scale subdivision application process", said APA Executive Director Terry Martino. "The revised application process ensures proposed projects are designed in conformance with the APA's review criteria, including protection of open space, wildlife, and habitat resources. We commend the review team and the applicant for working together to achieve a result that prioritizes natural resource protection while meeting the marketability goals of the applicant."
The Large-scale Residential Subdivision application requires applicants to consider alternative designs and explain how they determine their preferred alternative proposal. For this project, New York Land and Lakes Development, LLC prepared and analyzed six alternatives over the course of the two-year time period the project was under review. Project designs ranged from proposals which included 60 new residential structures and related infrastructure laid out across the project site to the preferred and approved project which will result in 32 new residential structures concentrated on carefully selected and well-designed sites.
Based on Agency staff advice and public input, the applicant submitted a proposal which will avoid direct wetland impacts, reduce the overall amount of possible forest degradation, including degradation of high value forested wetlands, reduce the loss of interior forest on the east side of Woodward Lake, and allow for a portion of the lakeshore to remain undeveloped.
All building lots were concentrated in areas with gentle slopes and the best soils for onsite wastewater treatment systems. The applicant located building sites in proximity to existing infrastructure and roads to minimize disturbance and impacts to open space and wildlife. Wetlands and water courses are avoided and building envelopes on all lots will be set back at least 100 feet from wetland boundaries.
New York Land and Lakes Development, LLC worked with Agency staff to ensure Woodward Lake and its shoreline would be protected. All shoreline lots are setback at least 100 feet with most lots doubling the minimum shoreline setback requirement in Rural Use of 75 feet. In addition, there will be very limited vegetative removal allowed within 100 feet from the shoreline. The applicant also altered plans and removed proposed docks on the lake in locations that would have been in wetlands.
New York Land and Lakes also conducted a biological survey of the project site as required by the Agencys review process. Based on their study, the applicant incorporated design features to avoid large mammal travel routes, provided appropriate culverts and bridges to ensure to the extent most possible that aquatic wildlife movements would not be impeded, and avoided development in proximity to an important upland area surrounding wetlands used by amphibians for breeding.
The five largest lots compromising nearly 650 acres will be subject to agency approved forest management plans. In addition, there are vegetative cutting restrictions outside of the building envelopes for all approved lots in the project site. In total, more than 96.5% of the project site will be conserved as open space, with development prohibited and only forestry uses allowed.
The Woodward Lake project site is in the Towns of Northampton and Mayfield in Fulton County.
To review the approved permit and project materials please go to www.apa.ny.gov. In addition, the complete PowerPoint presentation and the staff presentation to the Agency Board are available to view from the Agencys website under News & Activities on the Agencys homepage www.apa.ny.gov.
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.