A group of property owners on Huckleberry Turnpike requested at the Feb. 2 Town Board meeting that the Town of Plattekill declare a moratorium on short-term rentals until a new master plan can be developed.

Spokesperson Mark Gibian presented a letter signed by 10 town property owners asking for the moratorium.

The action came in response to a proposed 20-cabin campground at 501 Huckleberry Turnpike that developers plan to use for year-round short-term rentals.

David Campbell, one of two partners for the campground dubbed Huckleberry Ridge, unveiled the project at a Town Planning Board meeting last year. He then came to the Town Board on Aug. 4, 2021, to discuss the project.

The 103-acre parcel is located in the M-3 (Mountain) zoning district. Campgrounds are listed under M-3 as Special Uses.

Former Supervisor Joseph Croce, who didn’t run for re-election in November 2021, said he would confer with Town Attorney Paul Kellar before the board would consider any action. There has been no Town Board discussion about the Huckleberry Ridge project since the August meeting and there is no record of the developers returning to the planning board in the monthly meeting minutes on the town’s website.

“It has been almost 20 years since Plattekill developed a master plan addressing land use and zoning issues,” Gibian told the Town Board on Wednesday. “Since then, many trends have developed that would have been impossible to foresee or predict. In particular, we are concerned about the proliferation of short-term housing. No one imagined that Airbnb’s and glamping would compete unfairly with motels, guest houses and hotels, which are all clearly regulated and specifically zoned.”

Gibian, who said he has owned property on Huckleberry Turnpike for 22 years, told the Southern Ulster Times after he addressed the board that he doesn’t think a campground is an appropriate use for the location.

“It (the proposed campground) is absolutely inappropriate there as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “There are no other commercial developments on all of Huckleberry Turnpike.”

Donna Connell, another member of the group, said Huckleberry Turnpike can’t handle the expected influx of traffic for the commercial venture.

“The roads aren’t even wide enough at this point,” she said. “They’re winding and they’re a hazard and people speed up and down them. I don’t think Huckleberry Turnpike could handle the extra cars that could be coming to the campground in addition to the normal traffic.”

In addition to concerns about the traffic and possible noise, Gibian claimed that there were archaeological ruins on the property that could scuttle the project.

“Plus, water and septic could be a problem because it’s located on pure stone,” he said. “It’s such a gorgeous area I’d hate to see it ruined.”

In his plea to the board, Gibian said the group has no objections to a homeowner renting out a room or seasonal tents since they’d have a vested interest in protecting their property and the community.

On the other hand, the group is against “a business that purchases property specifically to set up short-term housing and skirt regulations by taking advantage of outdated or discretionary zoning laws. We ask the Town Board to address these issues and clarify them in the master plan. Until this is completed, we recommend a moratorium so the town has a chance to consider the best way to proceed with this matter.”

Councilman Dean DePew Sr. said he understood the group’s worries and told them that the town had already begun working on the second phase of its Comprehensive Plan.

“We are doing just what you’re asking,” DePew said. “We do realize the codes have to be updated. We do know that things have changed tremendously.”

DePew advised the group, though, to “stay close to any project that’s going on in your backyard.”

DePew reminded the group that the planning board will review the project to determine if it complies with the town’s zoning laws.

“There’s a lot of steps,” he said. “There’s a lot of layers to that onion. If they meet that, then they’re allowed that. If they don’t meet those thresholds and if it’s not acceptable or it’s not legal, they have to abide by that, too. It has to go both ways.”

No board members endorsed the idea of a moratorium, however.

In other news, the board unanimously approved the hiring of three new police officers recommended by Chief Joseph Ryan.

Retired New York City Detective George Weir was not present for the swearing-in ceremony. Town of Newburgh resident Joseph Cortez and Brian Levy of Wappingers Falls were sworn in by Town Clerk Donna Hedrick.