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Board discusses enforceability, water infrastructure and a 2005 Front Street master agreement
Summary
Johnsburg officials and residents debated a decades-old master agreement with Front Street Mountain Development Corporation and developer David Crickler; attorneys told the town the contract may still be enforceable but several APA conditions and infrastructure requirements remain unmet.
The board spent an extended portion of the meeting discussing a 2005 master agreement with Front Street Mountain Development Corporation and its developer, David Crickler. The Supervisor reported that the town’s attorneys have issued a memorandum outlining what the developer must still do to trigger conveyance of parcel B and that the developer has replied; the town will continue negotiations through counsel.
The discussion covered multiple outstanding items that the Supervisor and other board members said remain unsatisfied, including Adirondack Park Agency conditions, a proposed water connection pipeline, relocation or enhancement of a town well (Well 5), and several technical APA requirements referenced in older paperwork. The Supervisor acknowledged the master agreement is old and contains no clear timelines, saying that the document was “deliberately left open” and that changes since 2005 — including new ski lifts and a lodge on the parcel — alter the context of the original agreement.
Board members and residents raised procedural and legal questions: whether a permissive referendum period that might have started in 2005 still applies, whether the town would face litigation for failing to convey parcel B, and how to ensure the town’s water infrastructure and park protections are preserved. The Supervisor summarized the attorneys’ position that the agreement appears enforceable and warned the town could face a breach-of-contract lawsuit if it refuses to honor the agreement without cause, while also noting the town expects Front Street to meet infrastructure obligations before any conveyance.
Residents and some board members urged rigorous enforcement of conditions and clarity on public input; the Supervisor said the town’s role is to ensure appropriate legal and technical processes are followed and that the attorneys will continue to handle communications. No final decision on conveyance or permitting was made at the meeting.
