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ZBA sets hearing, orders $250 escrow for proposed soccer and pickleball fields at 3974 Route 9G
Summary
The Red Hook Zoning Board of Appeals set a public hearing for Aug. 12 on Application ZBA 26-03 for a proposed ~21,600 sq ft outdoor soccer field and ~7,200 sq ft pickleball court at 3974 Route 9G, and voted to require an additional $250 escrow for legal and mailing costs.
The Town of Red Hook Zoning Board of Appeals on July 8 set a public hearing for Aug. 12, 2026, on Application ZBA 26-03, a proposal by 3974 Route 9G, LLC to build a roughly 21,600-square-foot outdoor soccer field and a roughly 7,200-square-foot pickleball area at 3974 Route 9G. Chair Chris Carney introduced a resolution requiring an additional $250 be deposited in the application's escrow account to cover estimated legal and mailing costs; the resolution was seconded by Susan Grover and adopted unanimously.
Austin Ackerbauer of ORSI Corporation, representing Michael Sarandon and 3974 Route 9G, LLC, told the board the project includes safety netting around the playing areas and said the netting "is not obtrusive, and very transparent," emphasizing that moving the fields to meet a 100-foot setback would force them into the rear parking area and create an "undue cost burden" for his clients. Ackerbauer described the proposed soccer area as one-quarter the size of a FIFA field, arranged as three 60' x 120' fields, and said two pickleball courts are planned for the 7,200-square-foot area. He presented enlarged photographs and plans showing the layout and sightlines and said some netting might be reduced to 4 or 6 feet in limited locations.
ZBA Attorney Janis Gomez Anderson told the board that under the Town of Red Hook Zoning Law an "Outdoor Recreation Facility" designation carries a 100-foot setback requirement and screening obligations, meaning the applicant would need area variances. Gomez Anderson summarized the variance needs stated on the record: an 85-foot front-yard variance, a 50-foot side-yard variance, and a 14-foot height variance for the proposed fencing (the fencing was described in the presentation as 20 feet high and lighting as 25 feet high). The board discussed field dimensions, septic and parking constraints, and sightline concerns; no formal variance determinations were made at the meeting.
The board voted unanimously to set the public hearing for Aug. 12, 2026, or the next regularly scheduled meeting, and to require the additional $250 escrow. The applicant was asked to provide PDFs of the enlarged photographs to the ZBA office as requested by Clerk Anne Rubin.
