Published: May 15, 2008 12:00 pm         

Springfield considers development halt

By MICHELLLE MILLER
Staff Writer

SPRINGFIELD— When discussing adopting a proposed moratorium at Monday night’s Springfield Town Board meeting, Councilman Dan Rosen said the town has ``left the barn door open for too long.’’ He said the town has been hit by a lightning bolt of projects lately, and needs to get something in place soon.

The meeting, which was held at the Community Center, focused on getting the phrasing of the proposed moratorium, Local Law No. 1, just so. After several drafts of the law, board members are hoping they have something on which the town can agree. A public hearing has been set for Thursday, May 22 at the Community Center at 7 p.m.

The new phrasing of the law says, ``For a period of nine (9) months there shall be a moratorium on all new development projects in the Town of Springfield, which the planning board determines to be a Type One action.’’ Type One actions are more likely to have a significant adverse impact on the environment than unlisted actions, and may require the preparation of a draft from the Environmental Impact Service, according to the SEQR Cookbook.

According to the law, the purpose of having a moratorium in place is because the land use regulations of the Town of Springfield, as currently written, may be inadequate to address an application for approval of certain significant land uses. The law says these projects may have dramatic and longterm impacts on public health and safety, the environment, natural resources, public infrastructure, and revenue base of the town. In addition, the visual impact of such projects may be significant and may have a broad effect on the economic value of adjoining lands.

With talk of Springfield becoming a possible venue for a three-day music and arts festival, a possible motorcycle track in the works and developers wanting to add another ballpark similar to the Cooperstown Dreams Park, those living in the area are starting to get worried about what their quaint little town might become.

Rosemarie Harrison, who lives on Hoyer Road in East Springfield, said she was horrified when she read about new projects. ``You will be opening the gates of hell,’’ said Harrison at the meeting. ``I moved here 20 years ago to get away from it, not to have it on my front doorstep.’’

Harrison said she came to the small town of Springfield from New Jersey, and as mush as she dislikes the idea, would move again if necessary. She said the parking lot to the music and art festival is planned to be right next to where she lives, and she does not want it to turn into the anniversary of Woodstock. ``We also don’t need the tons of garbage that will be left behind,’’ said Harrison. ``When you get large groups of people together, you are bound to have all sorts of trouble.’’

Gary Sikkema, owner and broker of Pathfinder Reality Inc., said he feels people should look at the three-day music and arts festival project with an open mind. He said Madison Square Garden Inc., which is preparing to purchase 1,000 acres to accommodate up to 74,000 fans annually for a three-day music event, has a good reputation. Sikkema advised residents to research and read testimonials on past events the organization has put on. ``You will find people are generally happy with how things go,’’ Sikkema said. ``Before taking sides, all the people of this town should do their research and weigh the pros with the cons.’’

Results of the Town of Springfield Comprehensive Plan Community Survey indicate keeping the land rural is important, however. Fiftyfive percent of those who completed a survey expressed it is of extreme importance and 35 percent felt rural preservation is important. The importance of water quality was the only issue that ranked higher, with 56 percent. The survey had 407 responses out of a population of about 1,200, which is a little better than a 30 percent response. Comprehensive Plan committee member David Staley said this was an adequate sample size that is considered statistically relevant.

Rosen says hopefully people will show up to the public hearing and give the board members a better understanding of what they want for the town.