Camp Combe, Again
Last year Putnam Valley faced the prospect that Camp Combe on Peekskill Hollow Road would become the site of Kingdom Faire, bringing with it hundreds of visitors, scores of vendors and even overnight camping. As word of that arrangement and questions about its legality grew, the idea was ultimately quashed. Now the camp's owner has come up with a new plan and it is already triggering similar concerns.
The YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester, which owns Camp Combe, is not giving up on its goal of transforming its 79-acre property from a 10-week summer camp for kids into a year round operation, including weekends, for people of all ages. Whereas last year it sought permission to hold "showcase" events for 600 people six times a year, this year it seeks approval to have as many as 300 people on the property five times in each of the eight months when the camp isn't in session, or 40 times a year. During the days when camp isn't in session and those large events aren't taking place, it wants to hold programs for up to 150 people. Those will, in its view, make up "the lion's share" of its activities.
Who exactly does it anticipate coming to the property? In their presentation to the Planning Board on May 11th (starting at the one-hour mark), the Y's representatives gave examples of school field trips, baby showers, office picnics, and the Boy Scouts. To anticipate concerns about renting their facility to organizations that are not affiliated with the YMCA, they propose that those "outside organizations" be required to get an event permit from the town's Building Department.
In a letter to the Planning Board accompanying its latest submission, the YMCA's attorney expressed confidence that this new proposal was consistent with conversations it held last summer with Planning Board representatives. "The YMCA has heard and carefully considered the Board's concerns regarding the potential size and scope of the proposed activities and has reduced the scale of the programming accordingly," attorney Taryn Ramey wrote.
That was not the impression Planning Board members gave at their May 11th meeting. Among their concerns:
Parking - For events with 300 people, the Y is proposing that 150 cars be allowed to park on the grass field alongside Peekskill Hollow Road. Planning Board Vice Chairman Tom Carano questioned how cars would get out when the grass is wet and noted that a hole in the retaining wall by the road allows an intermittent stream to run through that area. The Y's consultant assured the board it wouldn't be a problem because underneath the soil lie "beautiful sands and gravels". And camp Executive Director Bonnie Fogarty added that, "Obviously, if it’s pouring rain, we’re not going to have an event. We’re not going to damage our fields by ultimately having event parking on our field." Although it didn't come up at the meeting, the Town Code governing special use permits for camps states that parking is not permitted within 200 feet of a property line, which that would be.
Bridge safety - The new proposal includes the Y's previous plan to build a 470-seat amphitheater on the other side of Peekskill Hollow Creek from the camp entrance. Carano questioned whether the bridge to that site could withstand the cement and other trucks that would have to cross it during construction. Noting the documentation the Y had submitted about the bridge's structure, he said, "I’d be embarrassed if I submitted this myself. This is sort of like a word salad… This particular consultant engineer didn’t want to commit."
Event oversight - The Y's proposal states that beside opening up its facility to schools, community groups and YMCA-affiliated families, they also want the option to rent the property to non-YMCA organizations. And there things got vague. The Y's attorney said that in those instances, the non-YMCA host would bear responsibility for supervising those events and suggested that this issue had been resolved in its previous meeting with the board. That wasn't Chair Dale Phillips' understanding: "I’m not sure that we’re together on that," he said. "I understand that we discussed it, but I’m still not sure that we’re together on that, on you having outside agencies in that you’re not responsible for."
As for the idea that the Building Department would determine which "outside" organizations and activities would be permitted, Code Enforcement Officer Richard Quaglietta said he would need at least three months advance notice to adequately review such applications. Though he didn't cite Kingdom Faire by name, he noted that, "They came in three weeks before and they gave me a garbage plan. They were just trying to push it through, push it through, push it through. And I had to shut the event down."
Permitted uses - Absent from the Planning Board meeting was much discussion about what uses would actually be permitted on the property. The heavily forested site lies within the Preservation District, which is the town's most tightly restricted. That zoning means it is primarily intended for "very low density/intensity recreational purposes."
The Y suggests that its Operations Plan should determine what it is permitted. The plan "clearly defines the types of activities permitted on the Property under the Special Permit and will guide the Building Department in determining whether proposed programming by outside organizations is consistent with those parameters when considering such permit requests," writes attorney Ramey.
But the clear definition that Ramey alludes to isn't so obvious. On the one hand, the Operations Plan includes examples of activities that would be considered a boon to any family-oriented community, including nature arts and crafts workshops, outdoor improv, a teen adventure leadership series, a young naturalists STEM series, and sessions for outdoor builders and tinkerers.
On the other hand, the plan also includes language that leaves much open to interpretation, like "providing space for local organizations to conduct programming"; "opening facilities for community-wide programming”; and family gatherings that include "celebratory events". It also wants permission for “any other use of YMCA facilities, programs, or resources that meaningfully engages local schools, community organizations, or residents in furtherance of the YMCA's mission and core values.” Would an organization like Kingdom Faire be considered a local organization or one that does community-wide programming? Are weddings or concerts a way to meaningfully engage residents? Can those be characterized as "very low density/intensity recreational purposes"? And on what basis would the Building Inspector make his determinations?
The YMCA maintains that there will be no impact from its new proposal on the town's need to provide additional fire or EMS service, nor, it says, will there be any impact on the character of the neighborhood. That's because it considers its summer camp the primary intended use, with the proposed activities "subordinate and less intense."
What happens next? The town's attorney, David Daniels, recommended that the Planning Board get his counsel before taking any action and suggested that the YMCA meet with Quaglietta to get his opinion on what should be allowed. Based on whatever issues Quaglietta identifies, Daniels thought the YMCA should then approach the Zoning Board of Appeals for rulings.
In other words, stay tuned!
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