Red Hook board votes 3-2 to pursue eminent domain for 2.37-acre boat‑club site for waterfront park

RED HOOK, N.Y. — The Red Hook Town Board voted July 15 to move forward with acquiring two adjoining parcels on Dock Road by eminent domain to create a publicly accessible waterfront park, approving the formal determination of findings required under the New York Eminent Domain Procedure Law (EDPL) by a 3–2 vote.

Town Supervisor Robert McKeon and board members considered several related items at the July 15 meeting, including an environmental assessment form (EAF) and a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) consistency determination. The board adopted a negative declaration under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) (resolution 47), completed a coastal/LWRP consistency assessment (resolution 48), and approved the EDPL determination of findings to proceed with acquisition (resolution 49). Resolution 49 passed 3–2; the board recorded yes votes by Councilmembers Bill Hamill, Jacob Testa and Court (as announced at the meeting) and no votes by Julia Solomon and Christine (last name identified in the record as Christine) on the EDPL determination.

Supervisor McKeon framed the action as preservation and public access. “The purpose here is to permanently preserve a piece of unique, important waterfront and make it available for public use without displacing homeowners, without destroying private property,” he said during the meeting.

Members of the public gave extended comment, largely opposing the use of eminent domain. Roxanne Fisher, who addressed the board during the public‑comment period, said documents and earlier meetings indicated the decision was already made and pressed for more financial transparency: “It’s clear now that the decision to move forward with eminent domain was a foregone conclusion… We deserve to know the full cost,” she said.

Board materials and staff statements cited planning documents stretching back decades that call for public river access. The property targeted comprises roughly 2.37 acres along about 610 feet of Hudson River shoreline and is identified in the Record as parcels at 256 Dock Road (tax map numbers listed in the meeting record as 897911 and 897893). The town’s final LWRP consistency form dated July 14 and an EAF parts 1–3 are on file at the town offices, and the board noted it held a public hearing on May 16 and accepted written comments through May 21.

At the meeting the board said it had explored five alternative locations (Tivoli, North Tivoli Bay, South Tivoli Bay, Heron Point and Aster Point) and concluded they lacked existing boat‑ramp infrastructure, parking, or safe pedestrian/vehicle access. The board’s materials state the Dock Road property already has parking, three primary buildings and the town’s only existing boat ramp, making it the most suitable location, according to the resolution record.

Opponents at the meeting said the process lacked transparency, questioned the town’s financial disclosures and warned of litigation and political consequences. Supporters and board members who voted in favor argued the acquisition implements long‑standing town planning goals to provide direct public access to the Hudson River and that the town had attempted negotiations before invoking eminent domain.

The record shows the board adopted: - Resolution 47: a SEQRA negative declaration for the acquisition (meeting record notes the vote on resolution 47 as 5–0). - Resolution 48: a determination of LWRP/coastal consistency dated July 14, 2025 (final CAF accepted by the board; vote outcome recorded in the meeting minutes as approved). - Resolution 49: EDPL determination and findings to proceed with eminent domain for the two parcels at 256 Dock Road and Dock Road (motion moved by Councilman Bill Hamill and seconded by Councilmember Jacob Testa; passed 3–2; yes — Hamill, Testa, Court; no — Julia Solomon, Christine).

The board’s resolution and the attached schedule B synopsis will be filed and published as required under EDPL; the statute provides a 30‑day period for judicial review in New York State Supreme Court after publication. The town repeatedly told the public that EAF and CAF documents were available on the town website and on file at town offices.

The meeting underscored the divide in the community: numerous residents urged the board to halt the eminent domain action and to publish detailed acquisition and remediation cost estimates before proceeding; board supporters said decades of planning documents and limited alternative sites left the town little choice if it wished to secure river access for current and future residents.

The board closed the meeting after the vote and noted further legal steps and the potential for court review under EDPL.