April 27, 2019
Mr. Lou Kiefer
Chairman, Town of Thompson Planning Board
Thompson Town Hall
4052 Route 42
Monticello New York 12701
Dear Mr. Kiefer:
In a recent letter to the Planning Board the Columbia Hill Neighborhood Alliance (CHNA) stated our case for requiring Gan Eden Estates (GEE) to redo their 72 hour well pumping test due to the many serious shortcomings of their previous tests as documented in the Miller Hydrogeology Inc. report.
Now we want to turn your attention to numerous other pertinent concerns, unanswered questions and yet to be addressed issues regarding this project as outlined in the attached. Many of these matters have been submitted for the Planning Board’s consideration in the past, but since the composition of the Board’s members has changed they bear repeating.
GEE has made past statements in the media bemoaning the extended period of time it has taken them to obtain approval from the Town to start building. It should be noted that to a very large extent, their own actions or lack thereof, have been the root cause of the delay. GEE had five years of unencumbered time to advance their plans after submitting the first site plan in 2007. GEE chose not to proceed.
In December 2017, GEE brought legal action against the Town of Thompson and wasted yet another year pursuing a case based on frivolous charges of unconstitutionality in the town’s zoning code. GEE’s appearances before your body from 2007 to the present have been infrequent and incomplete in detail. Yet GEE laments that the process is taking too long.
We trust that the Planning Board will review and act on any new materials submitted by GEE in its usual deliberate and thorough manner without succumbing to any pressure to hasten its approval by the developer. Thank you for your consideration on these matters.
Respectfully yours,
Roger Betters, Co-Director
Donna Nestler, Co-Director