Developers say the project will help address a housing shortage, while some residents fear it will disrupt their rural way of life, strain local infrastructure, and encroach on environmentally sensitive land. As the debate continues, the Woodstock Planning Board is set to review on February 20.
The Overlook - Noah Eckstein /// February 13, 2025
On a quiet dead-end road, Tana O’Sullivan and her husband built their dream retirement home—a modest ranch designed to accommodate his disability. Now, she fears that dream could be upended. Their home sits on Eastwoods Drive, the only access road under consideration for a proposed 30-lot residential development in the town of Ulster.
While the development would be in Ulster, the only access point for construction equipment, emergency services, and future residents would be through Woodstock. Some in the community argue this could place an unfair burden on town resources, while developers say their proposal complies with local laws and represents the least disruptive option.
“The development is completely inappropriate for anywhere in Woodstock,” O’Sullivan said. “But especially here. This is a small rural community. People move here for the peace and quiet, not for suburban sprawl.”
COMPLICATED HISTORY
The project, now called Zena Homes, has been modified several times. Initially pitched as Woodstock National, developers Evan Kleinberg and Eddie Greenberg envisioned a 191-home community featuring a golf course and helipad. Following community opposition, those plans were withdrawn and revised. The current proposal reduces the development to 30 lots on a 106-acre portion of the 624-acre property. The developers say the rest of the land in Woodstock will remain undeveloped, though opponents are concerned about potential future expansion.
“Our submission, in its current form, represents the full extent of the project size that we are planning,” Kleinberg told The Overlook. “We are not requesting any variances. Our goal is to move forward with a development that is both legally compliant and environmentally responsible.”
Concerns persist among some residents and local officials, particularly regarding Eastwoods Drive. The developers propose widening and paving the road to meet highway safety standards. Opponents argue that this could impact protected wetlands, require infrastructure modifications, and alter the rural character of the area.
“There’s no way to build this without drastically changing the landscape,” O’Sullivan said. “They want to turn our dirt road into a highway, but they can’t change the fact that the only way to get there is through a winding, narrow road that’s not built for this kind of traffic.”
The developers, however, argue that the impact will be minimal. Kleinberg and Greenberg both told The Overlook that a traffic study they commissioned modeled a scenario with 56 dwellings, even though their proposal caps out at 36 units on 30 lots, and found that at full buildout, the development would generate an estimated one additional car every three minutes during peak hours. They are considering modular and prefabrication techniques to reduce the number of material deliveries, which they say will help limit disruption on Eastwoods Drive.
“This isn’t a large-scale development going up overnight,” Kleinberg said. “We expect construction to happen in phases over several years, meaning traffic impacts will be gradual rather than sudden.”
ZONING COMPLIANCE AND LEGAL QUESTIONS
Nothing is set in stone yet. According to Kleinberg, Zena Homes submitted plans to both towns simultaneously and expects to be on the Ulster Planning Board agenda next month. He emphasized that, at this stage, the application is solely for subdividing land and extending or upgrading Eastwoods Drive.
‘We haven’t made any decisions yet on the design, size, or price point of the homes,’ Kleinberg said.”
A key point of contention is whether the project meets zoning laws in the town of Ulster. Ulster Town Supervisor James Quigley raised concerns that the development may not comply with Town Law § 280-a, which requires public road access for new subdivisions.
“In accordance with the town of Ulster town code, a parcel to be developed that’s on the boundary of the town must be accessible via a public road,” Quigley told The Overlook.
The law generally does not allow private roads for single-family subdivisions, though exceptions exist for multifamily developments and commercial projects, per the code. Zena Homes does not fall under those categories.
One possible solution is an Open Development Area (ODA) designation, which would allow the Ulster Planning Board to approve the project without public road access. However, ODA approvals are not automatic and require the Town Board to assess whether emergency services and infrastructure access are sufficient.
Kleinberg maintains that creating a new access point from Ulster would be far more disruptive to the environment than using the existing road in Woodstock.
“Gaining access through Ulster would lead to significantly more disruption to our neighbors,” Kleinberg said. “It would require constructing a new road through several plots of privately owned, forested land, which we’re certain our neighbors wouldn’t support.”
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS AND CALLS FOR CONSERVATION
The proposed development sits within a Critical Environmental Area (CEA), designated by the town of Woodstock due to its ecological significance. The “Zena Woods” land connects Bluestone Wild Forest, the Israel Wittman Sanctuary, and other protected lands, forming an important wildlife corridor.
“That area, which is within the town boundary of Woodstock, was designated a Critical Environmental Area for good reason,” said Kevin Smith, board chair of the Woodstock Land Conservancy. “It contains one of the most ecologically significant forests in the region, rated in the 99th percentile for forest condition by the Hudson Valley Natural Resource Mapper.”
The Woodstock Land Conservancy is a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and preserving open lands in Woodstock and its surrounding areas. Smith argues that any development in the area would have significant ecological consequences.
“To us, the highest and best use of this land is to remain largely untouched,” Smith said. “These lands are crucial for wildlife corridors, water protection, and preserving Woodstock’s natural landscape.”
Real Estate and Land Purchase Debate
Real estate broker Laurie Ylvisaker, who represented both the buyer and seller of the “Zena Woods” property, said that conservation groups had an opportunity to purchase the land before it was sold to developers but did not act in time.
“I went to Kevin Smith of the [Woodstock] Land Conservancy and said, ‘Look, this is for sale. Is there a way we can put together a fundraising effort to apply for grant money and buy it?’” Ylvisaker said. “They didn’t do anything.”
Smith disputes this, saying the Woodstock Land Conservancy and Open Space Institute, an organization focused on acquiring land for conservation, did make an offer, but land trust regulations limited how much they could bid—an amount ultimately below what the seller was seeking.
“The appraised value dictates what we can offer,” Smith said. “The market has changed dramatically, but we couldn’t simply match a developer’s bid.”
Still, the fight isn’t just about conservation—it’s also about housing. While the developers claim their project will help alleviate the Hudson Valley’s housing shortage, opponents note that Ulster does not require a percentage of new developments to be set aside as affordable housing, meaning all units will be market-rate. In contrast, Woodstock mandates that 15% of new housing developments include affordable units.
Kevin Smith argues that the developers’ claims about addressing the housing crisis are misleading.
“They’ve never stated that these homes would be sold only as primary residences,” Smith said. “In fact, they’ve pointed to Woodstock’s zip code as a prized real estate market. That suggests this will be another investment-driven development rather than housing for local families.”
WHAT’S NEXT
The Woodstock Planning Board will review the Zena Developers’ sketch plan at its Feb. 20 meeting. The Woodstock Planning Board declined to comment for this story. If eventually approved, construction could take years. The developers plan to build in phases, but opposition groups have vowed to challenge the project at every stage.
For O’Sullivan, the fight is far from over.
“We built our home here for a reason,” she said. “We’re not giving up.”
Noah Eckstein is the editor-in-chief of The Overlook. Send correspondence to noah@theoverlooknews.com