The Highland Falls Intermediate School’s auditorium was about two-thirds full last Friday evening – something that hasn’t happened since school dismissed for summer vacation in late June. And those sitting in the seats certainly weren’t HFIS students, they were adults from the Highland Falls and Fort Montgomery community who accepted the invitation to sit in on a presentation by two Main St. developers.

The Village Board set up the meeting, which featured developer Rick Minicozzi and Mick Hauser, director of Hudson Valley Program for West Point’s Association of Graduates, a non-profit which has purchased seven properties on Main St.

There were members of the Village, Town and School Boards on hand, as well as Planning Board chairman Erik Smith and Zoning Board of Appeals chairman Jack Jannarone. Assemblyman Chris Eachus and a representative of Senator James Skoufis were also there.

The first to speak was Minicozzi, whose ‘Thayer Group’ purchased and knocked down the former Pentagon Federal Credit Union building; who is in the process of converting the former United Methodist Church at 341 Main St. into ‘The Altar Bar’; and who owns the former Key Bank building.

Minicozzi spoke for about 40 minutes, reviewing Main St.’s current zoning and talking about how changes to that zoning could help the developers who want to get projects going here. After he moved past that ‘technical’ part of his comments, he showed the people in the audience what his vision for Main St. is.

“A great community is one where you can live, work and play,” he said, “and Hometown USA is a fabulous place on the doorstep of one of the greatest attractions in New York State, the U.S. Military Academy. This is going to become a very livable, walkable, vibrant community.”

Minicozzi used slides to show some artist renderings of his vision, including a large arch welcoming visitors to Highland Falls just south of Walgreens. His slides continued north, showing updated streetscapes, currently empty buildings recreated as storefronts on the bottom with apartments and condominiums atop them, and even the change of Main St. and West Point Highway into one-way streets that would drive all of those leaving West Point – visitors and residents alike – through the village’s commercial district.

Minicozzi spoke about how more development on Main St. would help lower the taxes of residents. “The goal should be to develop properties and let developers pay the brunt of taxes,” he said, using his Pen Fed site as an example. Right now, he pays just over $6700 in taxes on that land, developed he’d pay $231,000.

But with development comes a need for things like more parking, both Minicozzi and audience members noted. He suggested that if Main St. was converted into a one-way southbound road, a total of 221 parking spots could be created on it. There is even the possibility of some being added on West Point Highway, he indicated.

Minicozzi also touched on the employment benefits of development of Main St., saying four developments on the books right now could create 137 jobs.

Hauser, who explained at Hudson Valley Program has purchased (in the last 18 months) both the Schades and Park Restaurant buildings as well as two residential units behind them, the vacant lot next to the Highland Falls Post Office, 427 Main St. (most recently American Water and soon to become ‘Westies’, a restaurant), and a residential property on Webb Lane.

He explained that the AOG “works for 56,000 West Point graduates around the world”, most of whom have a strong affinity for Highland Falls after spending four years at the academy. “I’m trying to get them to invest in this little community,” he said.

Hauser cleared up a rumor that the properties Hudson Valley Program has purchased will be taken off the property roles – “we have no intention of doing that,” he said.

“We are purchasing properties, fixing them up, putting some goodwill into the community,” he said. He explained that the profit the group makes from renting the buildings to those who want to develop them will go back into AOG’s very successful program, CONNECT, an after-school program at the HFIS. So far, he said, the group has put $2.2 million into CONNECT, and they hope to make it a self-sustaining program with the rents they collect from the local properties.

Like Minicozzi before him, Hauser said they need the Village Board to act on several zoning changes – “simplify the terms” – that are proposed so that developers want to come here.

“Empower your Zoning Board,” Hauser said. “Then let developers decide how to maximize space. Let them show you what they can do. Other towns in this region do this successfully, I’m confident we can too.”

Minicozzi, earlier, agreed, saying: “You’re putting restrictions on what developers can build – you should let the developers decide what is needed. If we continue to have this set of rules, you’ll see status quo here forever.”

There was about 20 minutes left for public comment after Minicozzi and Hauser spoke. Jannarone, Smith, Village Trustees Dr. Melanie Guerrero and Jim Ramus, Deputy Mayor Jim DiSalvo and Planning Board member Jim Titolo chose to make comments.

Jannarone disagreed with Minicozzi that increased development would lower taxes for residents, because with increased development comes the need for, for instance, more police, with increased noise, traffic and potentially crime. He also noted that more apartments means more children in local schools. “It’s not going to save you tons of money,” he said.

He also spoke about the “character” of the community, noting that protecting that is what the zoning code does.

Smith, who debated some audience use of the words “high density” pertaining to more housing in Highland Falls, reminded all in attendance that the current population of Highland Falls is about 1000 less than it used to be. “The infrastructure was designed for a higher number of people.” Smith also made the case that the community needs to work together to remake it into the “thriving” village it used to be.

“With good dialogue we can get to that point,” Smith said.

Titolo urged the residents to listen to the people “who devote their energy to making this a better place,” calling the local board members hard workers. He also reminded them that decisions made today won’t affect the community for a long while – “decisions made today affect things 20 years from now,” he said. “And remember, nothing is written in stone”.

Titolo discounted public arguments that there won’t be enough parking “if it snows”, and that Highland Falls would become a “high density” community.

“But, unfortunately for us, Main St. should have been addressed 20 years ago,” he added. “Fifty years ago, we had character; today we have no character. What are people trying to preserve when they say ‘preserve our character’? Empty lots and empty storefronts?”

Guerrero spoke briefly, saying she has been “for development” as long as she has been on the Village Board, and said “we really cannot afford to let this opportunity slip by”, adding “they are ready to invest millions into our community.”

DiSalvo said he is “not against development” but also said “the community can’t take a dive into the deep end without looking into the future first.”

“If it’s going to take ten years to see any impact from changing the zoning,” he said, referring to Titolo’s comments, “than I don’t think it’s wrong to take a little bit of time to look at it all.”

Ramus offered to spend time with those who have concerns about how development will affect local Water and Wastewater Treatment plants and infrastructure. He also encouraged all in attendance to read the draft zoning law that is currently available at www.highlandfallsny.org. The Village Board will have a public hearing on it in early fall.

Friday’s entire meeting was videotaped and was to be posted on the village website on Monday. Anyone with questions about the proposals is invited to send those questions to Main.ST.Questions@gmail.com.