Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tourism Hotel Cso topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Thomas Cole center opens new visitor porch; hotel project to rely on CSO credit bank, IDA says
Summary
Jennifer Kim updated legislators on the Thomas Cole-related visitor site, and IDA staff reported that DEC-approved combined-sewer-overflow (CSO) credits are being banked for a proposed hotel; the hotel’s developer expects to break ground in August or September pending planning and DEC processes.
The Greene County Economic Development and Tourism committee heard two updates: a first-year report on a new visitor facility tied to the Thomas Cole site, and progress on a hotel project that will use a combined-sewer-overflow (CSO) credit bank to meet wastewater requirements.
Jennifer Kim briefed the committee on the visitor site’s first full year of operation, describing a new building with a public porch, chairs, WiFi and daily free access to grounds. Kim said the site is using programming tied to the bicentennial of Thomas Cole’s first regional visit, and noted local arts exhibitions and a children’s book launch related to the celebration. Kim also cited an economic-impact study that attributed roughly $2.5 million in annual local economic activity to the site’s operations.
The committee then heard from an IDA representative (first name recorded as April) on a proposed hotel. April said the Greene County Industrial Development Agency has secured or earmarked CSO credits that the hotel will use, and that the credits substitute for earlier plans for temporary holding tanks (which were estimated to cost $500,000-plus). The village is creating a CSO credit bank with DEC approval; Delaware Engineering told the IDA that the credit bank could be operational in about a month. April said the hotel and the town planning process set a realistic timeline for the developer to break ground in August or September, conditioned on planning-board approvals and DEC processes.
Why it matters: the CSO credit bank allows the hotel project to comply with wastewater requirements without building costly interim infrastructure, and the visitor-site programming supports local tourism and a multimillion-dollar annual economic impact, according to cabinet-cited studies.
Additional items raised by committee members included water and sewer capacity limits that could affect retail or restaurant tenants at other redeveloped parcels, and ongoing outreach to potential commercial tenants for a 60-acre county parcel. The IDA representative said the agency is tracking multiple expressions of interest but that capacity constraints and lease structure will influence which tenants can be accommodated.
What’s next: the town of Catskill planning board has scheduled a public hearing for the hotel for May 27, and the IDA anticipates the CSO bank will be in place in about a month. The hotel’s earliest realistic construction start was described as August–September, contingent on DEC and planning approvals.
