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Rhinebeck board agrees to assist Sisters of Saint Ursula in marketing 51‑acre Lynnwood Road property
Summary
The Town Board approved a cooperative agreement to help the Sisters of Saint Ursula market and find a buyer for a 51‑acre Hudson River property while preserving public access and environmental protections; the sisters retain final sale authority and attorney general approval is required.
The Town of Rhinebeck Town Board voted Sept. 29 to approve an agreement to cooperate with the Sisters of Saint Ursula (Blessed Sacrament) to market and explore conservation-minded, revenue-generating reuse options for the order’s roughly 51‑acre property at 5077 Lynnwood Road.
Town counsel and outside counsel Michael Zarin of Zarin Steinitz described the agreement as a nonbinding cooperative memorandum: the town will assist in creating an offering brochure, interact with potential purchasers, and help identify what zoning or repurposing provisions a viable proposal might require. The sisters will retain final authority over any sale; the agreement explicitly preserves the town’s ordinary land‑use review powers and does not bind the town to any particular approval.
Zarin said the arrangement grew from discussions about preserving the property’s environmental integrity, public access, and historic elements while returning it to the tax rolls. He noted that the sisters will need approval from the New York State Attorney General’s Charities Bureau to sell the property and that the order’s international governance and legal counsel will also be involved.
Board members asked whether a commercial reuse would require rezoning. Zarin said rezoning may or may not be necessary depending on the purchaser’s proposal and noted the town has repurposing provisions that can be applied in constrained circumstances. He described a market‑oriented process: the town and the sisters will define a vision and objectives, solicit offers, and then evaluate whether proposals require zoning changes; any rezoning would remain at the town’s discretion.
Supervisor and board members emphasized two priorities communicated by the sisters: preserve the property’s environmental integrity and provide some public access. The board and counsel stressed that the town will not receive sale proceeds and that the sisters are seeking a buyer that aligns with both parties’ visions. The board amended the approving resolution on the floor to include the dated agreement attachment and then approved the resolution unanimously.
The agreement delegates no approvals to the town and anticipates consultant support to price the property and advise on potential zoning or infrastructure needs; any purchaser would still be subject to normal land‑use review. The board described the arrangement as a proactive way to try to steer a sensitive property toward a use consistent with the town’s comprehensive plan.
