Open Letter to the Village Board and Village Building Department

We have several questions about 2 Mohonk Avenue’s ongoing construction and “No Place Like Home Development’s” 2013 petition against, and subsequent settlement with, the Village Building Inspector and members of the Village Board. Our questions relate to the following numbered sections within the settlement agreement posted on the Village’s website. Hopefully, our inquiry leads to more corrective/preventative oversight at this property, especially on the storm water and runoff issue.

#12: There appears to be a significant amount of dirt-fill added to the Pencil Hill Road parcel. The settlement discusses requiring permits for this parcel. Was a permit needed or granted for the dirt-fill activity?

#15 & 16: Was the basement floor plan, with its new staircase from the basement to the first floor of the 2 Mohonk addition, submitted before “any” new permits were issued?

#17 & 19: Recent county records list 2 Mohonk as a 5 bedroom, 1 bathroom residence. With the settlement granting the developer “a permit to add a bedroom to the original house at 2 Mohonk,” does that mean it becomes a 6 bedroom, 1 bathroom structure? How many bedrooms will be in “the original house” versus “the addition” considering the settlement discusses “a total of 9 bedrooms in the existing building, including bedrooms in the addition?”

#18, 19& 20: How many other properties in the Village have three 2-family structures? Do each of the structures at 2 Mohonk comply with Village setback rules or were variances granted on its 1.1 acre lot?

#21: Did the building department identify any “dividers” in bedrooms at 2 Mohonk that were required to be deconstructed after discovery by the building inspector?

#22 & 23: What has the building inspector set as the “occupancy limit for the buildings at 2 Mohonk Avenue?” How have these been determined in relation to Village sewage capacity and density rules?

Re #26: Has the Village exercised its “right to revisit Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans” considering the runoff of silt and water from 2 Mohonk that ends up sitting atop the four-way intersection of Pencil Hill Road, Mohonk Avenue, Plains Road and Water Street? Are there concerns about silt and storm water flowing from the property into the Wallkill River? If yes, how is this being mitigated?

Re #27: Have all “plans and parking for the project and construction at 2 Mohonk Avenue” been “reviewed and approved by the Village engineer?” If yes, may those reports be made public?

Additionally, county records indicate there was a 17 x 14 “machine shed” from 1900 that appears to have been torn down and reconstructed. A new larger structure in its place appears to have an updated foundation as the building is cantilevered over the new foundation so the new structure is even closer to the street-side property line. There is no discussion within the settlement for a new “shed” or whether it could be rebuilt within the required setbacks.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Neighbors – Brian Rogers (NPHS ’91), Theresa Fall (NPHS ’90), Tim Rogers (NPHS ’89) and Rhett Weires (NPHS ’87)