Hurley is mishandling proposal for apartments

Dear Editor:

A New York City developer has signed a contract to buy the former West Hurley Elementary School and turn it into 46 apartments. The area of West Hurley most immediately impacted consists of single-family and two-family homes. Besides changing the neighborhood’s character, 46 apartments will seriously compromise infrastructure and exacerbate existing water capacity, water quality and drainage problems.

We own two properties within a few hundred yards of the proposed development. While we speak only for ourselves, the public outcry about the proposal and town of Hurley officials’ perfunctory and disingenuous responses show serious concern among residents.

Despite adoption of a moratorium on proposals for multifamily dwellings, the town Planning Board has continued to meet with the would-be developers. When questioned, the Planning Board chairman and the town Supervisor gave contradictory answers about whether the moratorium applies to this project.

Further, the town’s process of assessing the project’s impact on water supply and safety and on disposal of waste and stormwater is incompetent (if not negligent), as demonstrated in two memoranda mailed to neighborhood property owners — one asking for emailed responses to a series of vaguely worded questions; the other received in our household the day after a mandatory reply date. How can anything useful come of such efforts?

Town officials appear to regard public input as a distraction and a nuisance, rather than an important part of planning for West Hurley’s future. We all deserve better. Georganne Chapin Paul Weinschenk

West Hurley