Write to Woodstock and Ulster Officials!


WHO SHOULD I SEND LETTERS TO? 
 Please CC the following email addresses on all letters  
 
Town of Ulster Planning Board
planningzoning@townofulster.ny.gov

Town of Ulster Town Board
claytonvk@townofulster.ny.gov
ulstersupervisor@townofulster.ny.gov
ahayner@townofulster.ny.gov
maryannd@townofulster.ny.gov
mschatzel@townofulster.ny.gov
sreavy@townofulster.ny.gov

Town of Woodstock Planning Board
pcross@woodstockny.org
jkerman@woodstockny.org
jlavalle@woodstockny.org
jconrad@woodstockny.org
gyearick@woodstockny.org
jdrue@woodstockny.org
gtartell@woodstockny.org
planning@woodstockny.org

Town of Woodstock Town Board
supervisor@woodstockny.org
acourtis@woodstockny.org
lricci@woodstockny.org
meconte@woodstockny.org
bratcliff@woodstockny.org

Stop Zena Development 
Please CC us on all submitted letters so we can track what has been submitted! 
protectzena@gmail.com
protectzenaupdate@gmail.com
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​WHAT SHOULD I WRITE? 
Please scroll for writing tips for folks who: 
- Live in Woodstock or the Town of Ulster
- Live in Saugerties or the Town of Kingston 
- Hike in the Israel Wittman Sanctuary 
- Live in the Hudson Valley and care for the environment
- Live outside of the Hudson Valley and care for the environment
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If you live in Woodstock or the Town of Ulster:
What to request: The Town of Ulster must cooperate with the Town of Woodstock in the environmental review process and issue a Positive Declaration. The Town of Woodstock must deny Zena Development's application for access road extension and construction. 
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Why Woodstock and Town of Ulster residents are concerned: 
The Town of Ulster Planning Board is neglecting its duty to work with the Town of Woostock Planning Board. In her letter awarding lead agency status to the Town of Ulster for the environmental review of Zena Development's proposed subdivision, DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton states: "In designating Ulster as lead agency, I remind it to remain aware of any potential impacts already identified by Woodstock during this lead agency dispute, or which may be identified during the forthcoming environmental review. I am therefore expecting Ulster to solicit and carefully consider the views of all other involved agencies including the Woodstock Planning Board as required by SEQR." During the Woodstock Planning Board's November 6th, 2025 meeting, Planning Board members and the Planning Board's attorney discussed Ulster's failure to respond to their communications. We must insist that the Town of Ulster Planning Board follow the guidance provided in Commissioner Lefton's letter and communicate fully with the Town of Woodstock Planning Board. 

Danger to Woodstock pedestrians and neighborhood residents Due to the subdivision’s limited access through the Town of Woodstock, subdivision traffic would enter Eastwoods Drive via Zena Highwoods/Church Road, which connects Glasco Turnpike in Saugerties to Sawkill Road in Woodstock. Zena Highwoods/Church Road is a narrow, unlined, winding road with many blind curves and narrow-to-non-existent shoulders. It is frequently used by cyclists and pedestrians. The traffic generated by the subdivision would include construction traffic for the Eastwoods Drive widening and extension, the subdivision’s 2400’ private recreation center, and up to 77 dwelling units, as well as ongoing traffic from subdivision residents. Zena Development indicated at a 2024 Woodstock ZBA meeting that the houses would be custom designed and constructed individually as parcels in the subdivision sold, suggesting that the construction period for the subdivision would be a protracted, years-long process. When Woodstock Planning Board members have raised concerns about impacts to Zena Highwoods Road, Zena Development has maintained that impacts on surrounding roads are not their responsibility.

Danger to subdivision residents in the Town of Ulster, current Woodstock residents on Eastwoods Drive, and first responders. Zena Development is pursuing waivers from the Town of Woodstock Planning Board and New York State Fire Code that would allow them to have a single, narrow access road to the subdivision. This single access road would be formed by extending Eastwoods Drive to a length of over 7000' - more than three times the 2000' permitted for the length of cul-de-sacs by the Town of Woodstock Subdivision Regulations Section 202-32D. Current Zena residents have expressed concern that if a tree falls, blocking Eastwoods Drive, that subdivision residents would be trapped and ambulances and fire would not be able to respond to the subdivision in a timely or safe fashion. The sprinklers promised by Zena Development in the future subdivision dwellings would be of little use in a medical emergency or large-scale forest wildfire. The alternative is also bleak. The proposed route of a secondary access road would cut a more than 9000' path through Woodstock forests and wetlands. Zena Development has created a situation in which the Woodstock Planning Board must choose between the danger to human life created by a single access road, and environmental destruction in a Critical Environmental Area caused by the construction of a lengthy secondary access road, proving once again that Zena Development provides NO benefit to the Town of Woodstock. The Town of Woodstock MUST follow Woodstock's Subdivision Regulations which lay a clear legal path for denying not only Zena Development's requested waivers, but the entirety of their application. The Town of Ulster must consider the safety of the future residents of this subdivision. 
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Harm to the Zena Woods Critical Environmental Area. Zena Development’s property in Woodstock is located entirely within the Zena Woods Critical Environmental Area (CEA). While many of Woodstock’s higher elevation forests are already protected, the Zena Woods CEA highlights the unique value of Woodstock’s largest lowland forest area. The CEA designation recognizes the importance of this area for ecological services to the human community, habitats for wildlife and plants, and support of local ecosystems. 
In 2025, the Woodstock Planning Board hired Dr. Erik Kiviat of Hudsonia to assess the potential impacts of the proposed extension and widening of Eastwoods Drive on Woodstock's Zena Woods CEA. In the assessment Dr. Kiviat submitted to the Planning Board in June, he explains: “I identified several categories of negative impacts: animals killed by construction equipment and vehicles; deicing compounds and other pollutants entering wetlands; and alteration of wildlife behavior by noise and visual disturbance. Development of the proposed access road will very likely adversely affect populations of pool-breeding amphibians and forest interior-breeding birds, as well as introducing nonnative weeds (invasive plants) now absent or localized in the CEA. I recommend additional studies to provide more detailed information for planning." In an addendum to his initial assessment submitted to the Woodstock Planning Board in October, Kiviat stresses the importance of additional studies, recommending  a minimum of four additional environmental studies examining plant life, breeding birds, reptiles and amphibians, and bog turtle habitat. The Woodstock Planning Board MUST complete these studies, and must render a decision that honors the importance of the Zena Woods CEA to the general welfare of the Town of Woodstock. Importantly, Zena Development has proposed numerous environmental mitigations based on Hudsonia’s assessment and addendum, but these mitigations cannot possibly be deemed adequate if we do not know definitively what sensitive species depend on the Zena Woods CEA due to a lack of information. Additionally, the Town of Ulster must issue a Positive Declaration in Zena Development's environmental review because of the significant, unmitigated environmental impacts on the Town of Woodstock. 
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Unfair burden on the Town of Woodstock. All tax revenue goes to the Town of Ulster, and all burdens fall on the Town of Woodstock. This includes increased maintenance costs for Zena Highwoods and Sawkill road due to subdivsion-related traffic increases. Zena Development offers NO benefit to the Town of Woodstock. 

Failure to provide the housing that our area needs. Zena Development's subdivision does not include affordable housing. In a 2025 interview with Chronogram, Zena Development developer Evan Kleinberg stated that he is hoping that the subdivsion will include "a mix in which fancier homes help cover the cost of some that sell for under a million." Zena Develompent's October 2025 submission to the Woodstock Planning Board claims that six of the subdivision's 30 lots could accommadate duplexes "which will provide flexibility and different housing affordability options." However, during the November 6th, 2025 Woodstock Planning Board meeting, Zena Development attorney Alec Gladd stated that Zena Development would most likely construct 30 single family homes. The Woodstock area needs housing for young families, lower and middle income working folks, seniors, and artists. Not the million+ dollar houses Zena Development intends to construct. 

Who would respond to emergency calls from the subdivision? Our communities need a clear answer. As recently as August 2025, Zena Development claimed the subdivision's HOA would pay Woodstock's first responders to compensate them for burden caused by the subdivision. Now, Zena Development claims that Ruby Fire would respond to calls from the subdivision. They concede that "interdepartmental agreements sometimes determine the fastest responder." Because the subdivision would only be accessible through the Town of Woodstock, both Sawkill and Woodstock's first responders would be significantly closer to the subdivision than Ruby's, with Woodstock being closest by far. How much burden would be placed on Woodstock to respond to mutual aid calls? Will the Town of Woodstock be compensated for this additional burden? Do the developers - or the Town of Ulster - care that due to distance Ruby would be slow to respond to emergency calls from the subdivision? 

If you live in Saugerties or the Town of Kingston
What to request: The Town of Ulster must cooperate with the Town of Woodstock in the environmental review process and issue a Positive Declaration. The Town of Woodstock must deny Zena Development's application for access road extension and construction. 

Why Saugerties and Town of Kingston residents are concerned: 
Unfair burden on the Town of Saugerties. All tax revenue would go to the Town of Ulster, and road maintenance burdens would fall on the Towns of Woodstock and Saugerties. Zena Highwoods/Church Road and surrounding roads in Saugerties will see increased traffic from subdivision construction and residents. Increased traffic will have an impact on Saugerties wildlife. As Zena Development refuses to study the impacts on wildlife on public roads surrounding their proposed subdivision, we cannot be certain if the subdivision traffic would have an adverse impact on sensitive, threatened or endangered amphibians, who frequently migrate across roads in our area during the spring migration season. Increased traffic would also aid in the spread of invasive plant species along roadway edges. Zena Development offers NO benefit to the Town of Woodstock or Saugerties. 

Danger to Saugerties pedestrians and neighborhood residents Due to the subdivision’s limited access through the Town of Woodstock, subdivision traffic would enter Eastwoods Drive via Zena Highwoods/Church Road, which connects Glasco Turnpike in Saugerties to Sawkill Road in Woodstock. Zena Highwoods/Church Road is a narrow, unlined, winding road with many blind curves and narrow-to-non-existent shoulders. It is frequently used by cyclists and pedestrians. The traffic generated by the subdivision would include construction traffic for the Eastwoods Drive widening and extension, the subdivision’s 2400’ private recreation center, and up to 77 dwelling units, as well as ongoing traffic from subdivision residents. Zena Development indicated at a 2024 Woodstock ZBA meeting that the houses would be custom designed and constructed individually as parcels in the subdivision sold, suggesting that the construction period for the subdivision would be a protracted, years-long process. When Woodstock Planning Board members have raised concerns about impacts to Zena Highwoods Road, Zena Development has maintained that impacts on surrounding roads are not their responsibility.

Increased Wildlife Conflicts in the Town of Saugerties and Kingston
The 625 acre property purchased by Zena Development serves as a vital wildlife corridor for
many species that rely on large tracts of forest, including Black Bears. Coyotes are also seen
frequently by residents of the Zena neighborhood. Forest clearing and noise disturbance
required for road and housing construction would displace species currently inhabiting this
property, pushing them into residential areas in Woodstock, Ulster, Saugerties and the Town of Kingston where costly and dangerous conflicts with cars, people and pets would become more frequent.

Untested Impacts on Saugerties and Town of Kingston Wells
The unconsolidated aquifer located below Zena Development’s property extends under residential areas in Woodstock, the Town of Ulster, the Town of Saugerties and the Town of Kingston. Although a subdivision comprised of 30 to 36 dwelling units may not utilize enough water to draw down wells in Saugerties, a total 77 units are permissible on the Ulster parcel, and the future development on the 500+ Woodstock acres that would be enabled by the Eastwoods Drive extension are unknown. Without proper testing - which has not yet been conducted or requested by the Town of Ulster - it is impossible to know how this subdivision, or future development would impact the wells of current area residents.

If you hike in the Woodstock Land Conservancy's Israel Wittman Sanctuary
What to request: The Town of Ulster must cooperate with the Town of Woodstock in the environmental review process and issue a Positive Declaration. The Town of Woodstock must deny Zena Development's application for access road extension and construction. 

Why friends of the Israel Wittman Sanctuary are concerned: 
The subdivision’s road extension, recreation center and housing have been proposed directly below the sanctuary’s southern border. Israel Wittman offers a network of wide, gently sloping, and actively maintained trails that are easily accessible to families and senior citizens with limited mobility. Entering the Israel Wittman Sanctuary, visitors are able to enjoy the natural beauty that characterizes the Catskills region, just minutes away from both Woodstock and Saugerties town centers. Sound and light pollution from the neighboring subdivision would detract from the wild nature of this sanctuary, harming the wildlife the sanctuary supports and degrading the experience of sanctuary visitors.

If you live in - or beyond - New York's Hudson Valley and care for the environment
What to request: The Town of Ulster must cooperate with the Town of Woodstock in the environmental review process and issue a Positive Declaration. The Town of Woodstock must deny Zena Development's application for access road extension and construction. 

Why environmental advocates are concerned:
It is important to note that the Stop Zena Development coalition is supported by numerous local environmental organizations: The Woodstock Land Conservancy, Catskill Moutnainkeeper, Friends of the Bluestone Wild Forest, the Overlook Mountain Center and Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Mid-Hudson Group. 

Destruction of high-quality New York forests. Forests that would be destroyed by Zena Development's subdivision and road construction are ranked in the top 5% of NY forests in terms of forest condition by the Hudson Valley Natural Resource Mapper. The Hudson Valley Natural Resource Mapper website explains: "Conserving Hudson Valley forests is vital for the multiple benefits they provide communities, from wildlife habitat to clean water to flood control - but which forests are most important and why? The Hudson Valley Forest Condition Index is a new data set that maps and prioritizes forest patches based on metrics relating size, fragmentation, connectivity, stressors, habitat value, and carbon sequestration. The forest condition index can be used to better understand individual forest values within a regional context and to prioritize forest areas for conservation and land-use planning efforts." The forests on Zena Development's property serve as a vital wildlife corridor connecting large tracts of unbroken forest to the north and south. It would be an enormous sacrifice to destroy high-quality forest so Zena Development can construct $1 million+ houses to benefit their investors. 

Potential harm to migratory breeding birds. Breeding bird populations on or near Zena Development's property may include migratory species that are enjoyed by bird watchers across north and south America. However, no studies have yet been conducted of breeding birds in this area. In his October 2025 submission to the Woodstock Planning Board, Woodstock's environmental consultant Dr. Erik Kiviat of Hudsonia recommends, as one of numerous additional environmental studies, a: "Breeding bird survey within at least 200 m of the proposed access road. Survey should begin early in spring to detect nesting raptors, waterfowl, and other early breeders, and extend at least through June for nesting by late-arriving species. Any Endangered, Threatened, Special Concern, and SGCN detected should be spot-mapped using standard protocols such that numbers of pairs (or nests) can be determined." The Woodstock Planning Board MUST demand that this study be conducted before making a decision on Zena Development's application to extend Eastwoods Drive. The Town of Ulster Planning Board MUST issue a Positive Declaration in the environmental review process. 

Placing a subdivision in the middle of an enormous tract of unbroken forest increases wildfire risks for humans and wildlife. New York State’s Hazard Mitigation Program website points to the wildfire danger in our region: “Geographically, a majority of the state has low to minimal risk of wildfire. However, land comprised of heavily wooded areas, densely packed shrubs, or large expanses of brush are more fire prone then areas with sparse vegetation. The Adirondack and Catskill regions, with their forested landscapes, have a higher susceptibility to wildfires. These regions contain extensive woodlands and remote areas where fire incidents can occur…Wetlands can experience cyclical dry periods that make them vulnerable to wildfires…If a drought event is occurring, the risk of a wildfire increases significantly…Wildfires are especially dangerous when occurring in the wildland-urban interface. The WUI is an area where human development meets or mixes withundeveloped wildland. In these areas, wildfires pose a particular risk to humans…”

Harm to the Zena Woods Critical Environmental Area. Zena Development’s property in Woodstock is located entirely within the Zena Woods Critical Environmental Area (CEA). While many of Woodstock’s higher elevation forests are already protected, the Zena Woods CEA highlights the unique value of Woodstock’s largest lowland forest area. The CEA designation recognizes the importance of this area for ecological services to the human community, habitats for wildlife and plants, and support of local ecosystems. In 2025, the Woodstock Planning Board hired Dr. Erik Kiviat of Hudsonia to assess the potential impacts of the proposed extension and widening of Eastwoods Drive on Woodstock's Zena Woods CEA. In the assessment Dr. Kiviat submitted to the Planning Board in June, he explains: “I identified several categories of negative impacts: animals killed by construction equipment and vehicles; deicing compounds and other pollutants entering wetlands; and alteration of wildlife behavior by noise and visual disturbance. Development of the proposed access road will very likely adversely affect populations of pool-breeding amphibians and forest interior-breeding birds, as well as introducing nonnative weeds (invasive plants) now absent or localized in the CEA. I recommend additional studies to provide more detailed information for planning." In an addendum to his initial assessment submitted to the Woodstock Planning Board in October, Kiviat stresses the importance of additional studies, recommending  a minimum of four additional environmental studies examining plant life, breeding birds, reptiles and amphibians, and bog turtle habitat. The Woodstock Planning Board MUST complete these studies, and must render a decision that honors the importance of the Zena Woods CEA to the general welfare of the Town of Woodstock. Importantly, Zena Development has proposed numerous environmental mitigations based on Hudsonia’s assessment and addendum, but these mitigations cannot possibly be deemed adequate if we do not know definitively what sensitive species depend on the Zena Woods CEA due to a lack of information. Additionally, the Town of Ulster must issue a Positive Declaration in Zena Development's environmental review because of the significant, unmitigated environmental impacts on the Town of Woodstock.