Late last week the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) voted 10-1, approving a permit for the Adirondack Club and Resort project in Tupper Lake. This historic decision is the first step (of many) needed to get the project going.Supporters of the Adirondack Club and Resort (ACR) outnumbered those that oppose it at the APA's board room last week. However, both sides have pretty good arguments.
Supporters of the Club would like to see the area developed somewhat, and offered exclusively to members who purchase property. The plan calls for 6,400 acres to be developed, by building more than 700 luxury homes and condos in the area. This will no doubt bring people to Tupper Lake, which will bring business and jobs to the area as well.
The plan is to keep the commercial development to a minimum, allowing the Village of Tupper Lake to reap some of the benefits of the surge in population and tourism. The Adirondack Club and Resort is expected to have a large economic impact in the region.
A few groups (PROTECT and Adirondack Wild) are opposed to the development of such a large portion of the Adirondack Park. Some concerns that these groups (and others) have:
- Waste & Storm Water Managment
- Subdivision of Back-Country Lands
- Rise in Property Taxes
- New Jobs will be Low Paying
The permit acquired after the APA voted yes last Friday is one of many that the project developers are going to need. The recent decision was made after holding a poll of the board members in a qualitative manner, largely based on opinion. The remaining permits will be sought after in a quantitative manner based on specific criteria, which should make them easier to obtain.
Obviously, both sides are going to have their arguments about how this project should (or should not) be carried out.
I personally am an advocate of forever wild, and I think this decision by the APA could prove to be very dangerous in the future. If they allow the development of the ACR, what is going to stop them the next time someone wants to develop 6,000+ acres of our back-country?
There is no doubt in my mind that if you live in the Adirondack Park, you have an opinion on this. We would love to hear what you think, as I have barely scratched the surface of this debate.
I'm glad to see an exclusive area set up for 1%ers. Who will they be? how much of an impact will it be on the rest of us who are too poor to afford such extravagance in the sacred park areas? I'm sarcastic but I'm also glad to see some kind of growth in the ADKPark. The objections could be made here in VA. Everywhere there is problems with waste mamangement, eco impact, non-union wage jobs, and increased property taxes, the real question is how elitists will impact the area and their sense of entitlement help or hurt school taxes, will it change the local political fabric and like so many other areas where privelaged gated communities have been estabished become so exclusive and insular they do end up costing much more to the community than they are worth.