The Red Hook Town Board on Oct. 14 reintroduced two zoning measures and opened the environmental-review process tied to the town’s planned acquisition of the Red hook Boat Club, following an August court ruling that annulled earlier legislation.

Supervisor Robert, speaking at the start of the meeting, said the board was reintroducing “local law b and local law c” to incorporate the town’s intended acquisition into the environmental review after the court found the prior law’s review had not considered that acquisition. He told the room and viewers that laying the laws on the desk was required to begin formal public input and referrals to the planning board and county agencies.

Why it matters: the measures touch land-use rules for the waterfront, definitions for boat clubs, docks and marinas, and whether the town can use Community Preservation Fund (CPF) money to pay debt on completed preservation projects and include a 28.4-acre parcel known locally as Rec Park West in the CPF plan. The reintroduction also restarts a process that opponents say will lead to use of eminent-domain authority on private property that has sparked months of litigation and strong public opposition.

Board action and schedule

At the meeting the town board:
- Declared itself lead agency for the reintroduced local laws and a separate proposed acquisition and circulated the Full Environmental Assessment Form (FEAF) and a Coastal Assessment Form (CAF) for public review (resolution 73).
- Set concurrent public hearings for the reintroduced zoning laws: local law B on Nov. 19 at 7:55 p.m. and local law C on Nov. 19 at 8:15 p.m. at Town Hall (resolutions 74 and 75).
- Reintroduced local law A (an amendment to the Community Preservation Plan to add the Rec Park West parcel and to allow CPF funds to be used to pay down debt on completed CPF projects) and scheduled a public hearing on that amendment for Nov. 19 at 7:35 p.m. (resolution 71 and related scheduling action).
- For a separate conservation project (the Winn(e)ke/Camp Rising Sun parcel), the board declared lead agency and set a public hearing for Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m.; the town estimated the total project cost at up to $1,600,000 with a town share up to about $390,000 drawn from CPF (resolution 77).

All three Nov. 19 hearings were scheduled to allow the public to present testimony and for the planning and county review processes to proceed before final board votes.

Public opposition and key remarks

A string of public speakers opposed the acquisition and the reintroduced laws. Roxanne Fisher said the board was pursuing “the reckless misuse of taxpayer funds to pursue the eminent domain seizure of the Red Hook Boat Club” and urged a pause, an independent audit and mediation.

Al Tristan, who gave his address as 77 West Curly Corners Road, criticized the board’s timing and public-notice practices and said, “You lied to me, Robert,” over what he said were unfulfilled promises about public meetings on zoning changes. He also warned of potential civil litigation seeking punitive damages.

Matthew Donahue said the board was out of step with residents: “There’s 5 against the entire community. You are the only 5 people on record on record that want this to happen,” he said, arguing the town should abandon acquisition plans to avoid future tax burdens and legal costs.

Rob Singleton told the board, “All you need to do to restore the people’s trust is vote no on local law b,” urging members to halt the reintroduction.

Supervisor Robert and other board members repeatedly said reintroducing the laws was legally necessary to incorporate the town’s acquisition plan into the SEQRA/CAF review after Acting Justice Maria Rosa’s August decision annulled local law 1 — a ruling the town says left most of the law intact but required the acquisition be included in environmental review. Robert said reintroducing the laws and taking public comment was the way to contain legal costs and complete a new, fuller review.

What the laws would change

The reintroduced measures, as described by the town, include:
- Local law B: amendments to the zoning code to update use tables and definitions, clarify design standards for certain zoning districts, add rules for cannabis retail locations, and clarify short-term-rental and agricultural-business-district (AB) provisions.
- Local law C: new and clarified definitions for club, boat club, boat ramp, dock and marina; removal of “marina” as a permitted use in all zoning districts; and special-permit standards for boat clubs, docks and ramps. The town said longstanding limits on “marinas” remain part of its comprehensive plan and LWRP (Local Waterfront Revitalization Program) guidance.

The town also placed on the agenda an amendment to the Community Preservation Plan (local law A) to add the Rec Park West parcel (28.4 acres) and to allow CPF funds to be used to pay down debt on completed CPF projects. Board members emphasized that CPF statute limits uses to willing-seller transactions and that CPF cannot be used for involuntary takings.

Votes at a glance (key resolutions and outcomes)

- Resolution 73 — Establish lead agency for Local Laws B & C and the separate proposed acquisition: Approved (board acted to declare itself lead agency and circulate FEAF/CAF for review).
- Resolution 74 — Set public hearing for Local Law B (zoning amendments) on Nov. 19, 7:55 p.m.: Approved.
- Resolution 75 — Set public hearing for Local Law C (waterfront/definitions) on Nov. 19, 8:15 p.m.: Approved.
- Resolution 71 — Classify Local Law A (CPF amendment) as a Type I action and establish lead agency: Approved; public hearing set (Nov. 19, 7:35 p.m.).
- Resolution 77 — Declare lead agency and set public hearing for the Camp Rising Sun/Winn(e)ke CPF acquisition (Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m.); estimated town share up to ~$390,000: Approved.
- Resolution 66 — Award professional services contract for the town’s Natural Resources Inventory to Hudsonia for $58,820 (grant-funded): Approved (mover: Christine; second: Jacob).
- Resolution 67, 68, 69 — Highway materials and procurement actions (award of ice control abrasives, award of various road materials, and rejection/rebid of asphalt hot mix bids): Approved or authorized as recommended by highway superintendent (several unanimous votes).
- Resolution 70 — Authorize purchase (piggyback) of combined chipper/coal-patch vehicle (approx. $172,000): Approved.
- Resolution 76 — Acknowledge adoption of updated New York State building and energy codes (effective Dec. 31, 2025): Approved.
- Resolution 78 — Authorize consultant agreement (Project Economics d/b/a PowerMarket) for community solar subscriber services: Approved (subject to attorney review).
- Miscellaneous: motions approving supervisor and clerk reports, committee appointments (including ZBA alternate Susan Gerber), and appointments to county/committee roles were passed.

Board members and staff emphasized that introducing the laws does not itself adopt policy but starts formal review and public input. Several board members framed the reintroduction as a cost-control measure and a response to the court’s procedural findings: re-laying the laws on the desk allows the town to include the acquisition in SEQRA/CAF and to take comment before any final vote.

What’s next

The town scheduled multiple public hearings on Nov. 19 to collect testimony on the zoning updates, the CPF amendment and the conservation easement proposal. The board referred the reintroduced laws and environmental paperwork to the planning board and the Dutchess County planning agency for advisory review. Town staff also said the town will file a notice of appeal related to the earlier court decision; the town indicated that filing the notice will leave the prior local law in effect pending appeal, but the board moved to reintroduce the laws to start the new environmental-review path.

Public commenters urged postponement, mediation and an independent accounting of legal costs. The board said public input is welcome in writing and in person at the scheduled hearings.

Ending note

The reintroduction and launched environmental review set an explicit timeline for public comment and agency referral in a dispute that has divided residents for months. With the board calling the town itself lead agency and scheduling a slate of hearings on Nov. 19, the matter is likely to return to the board’s agenda several times before any final acquisition or zoning change is approved.