Sussman: “… trammeled and ignored by powerful interests”
GOSHEN – A new group comprised of residents of Goshen, has been formed to fight the Legoland theme park proposed for the Town of Goshen.
Concerned Citizens of the Hudson Valley, represented by attorney Michael Sussman, believes a supermajority, not a simple majority of the Goshen Town Board is needed to approve any zoning changes on the property upon which Merlin Entertainment wants to build its third American theme park. That means four, not three members of the five-person town board would have to approve any changes.
The organization has garnered petitions with a majority of the land owners
adjacent to the property, calling for the town board to conduct the state-required
environmental quality review of the impacts of the facility. The town
board has said the planning board was conducting the environmental reviews,
which Sussman said under the law is illegal.
“I want to give notice today as the attorney recently retained by this organization, that this organization is going to fight just like we did in Valley View, just like we did at the government center, to ensure that the laws of this state are preserved and protected, not trammeled and ignored by powerful interests,” he said.
Merlin legal counsel Dominic Cordisco, meanwhile, said the state environmental quality review law “encourages a holistic, unified and coordinated review of such projects – exactly the Town of Goshen’s approach for Legoland New York.” He said the “coordinated approach ensures that each board has a full record before it, detailing all of the significant potential impacts. Based on a full record, each board can then make their own informed decision.”
Cordisco said the town planning board serves as lead agency for the review, but the town board “retains its decision-making authority over the proposed zone change. There has been no delegation of the town board’s authority.”
Group member Melanie Turner said Legoland “will forever change Goshen.” She was also critical of the 30-year Payment-in-Lieu of taxes arrangement the company is seeking from the Orange County Industrial Development Agency.
Brad Barnhorst, the president of the new Concerned Citizens group, said the $71 advanced ticket price for Legoland Florida, should it be used in Goshen, would cover the $1.3 million host fee in 5.39 days. “The picture is very clear. The so-called good neighbor is nothing of the sort,” he said. “The very people who we have empowered to look out for our best interests appear to be doing nothing of the sort.”
Jessica Gocke, another member of the new group, said the issue is not about children and recreation, but about the lack of transparency of local officials. She pointed to town zoning law, amusement parks and related activities are listed among prohibited activities in the town, “prohibited to protect your quality of life and to protect your property values,” she said. Other prohibited uses include junkyards and dumps.
“It is nothing short of an insult to our intelligence that anyone would even try to put a positive spin on this proposed zone change,” Gocke said.
