Last night, Ulster county legislators voiced their approval of the latest plan for a resort to be built near the Belleayre Mountain Ski Center by Dean Gitter, a developer with Crossroads Ventures LLC. The Daily Freeman reports that 27 legislators voted in favor of the oft-redesigned project, which has been in the works in various forms since 1999, despite the fact that they have no say over whether the development goes foward:
More than 100 spectators packed the legislative chambers and spilled out into the hallway as more than two dozen people spoke on this issue during a public comment session that lasted more than one hour. Most of the local residents speaking called on lawmakers to withhold their support of the project, which is still undergoing review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act.
Although the Freeman reports that most of the two dozen people who spoke were urging the lawmakers to oppose the development, the Hudson Valley Labor Report, which was in attendance last night, disputes the paper's account:
The legislative chambers were overwhelmingly filled with supporters who stood in the chambers and the hallway. With people either losing jobs or scared of losing their jobs in this flat almost depression-like economy, it was obvious the most people have lost patience with some of the unsatisfiable, wild haired environmentals that have chased away so many business in Ulster County over the last 10 - 20 and and even thirty years or so ... Don't believe the spin the paper put on it that those who support the project were not residents and those who spoke against it were.
You can see all the resolutions that were considered by the Ulster County Legislature last night by clicking here.
