2. Dead-end road length § 202-32.D(1)

The maximum length for a dead-end road is 2,000 feet. The proposed road is more than 7,000 feet, ending in a cul-de-sac deep in the woods. Dead-end limits exist so emergency responders can reach you and so you can get out.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and then name § 202-32.D(1) in your letter.

7. Adequate emergency access § 202-11(E)

Subdivision roads must provide adequate access for fire, police, and emergency medical services. Reviewing the developers' own documents for the Planning Board, consulting engineer Stephan A. Maffia, P.E., called the proposal "unacceptably excessive roadway lengths with regard to safety," warning that a blockage could delay fire, police, and EMS response. He measured the access road at more than 7,000 feet.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and then name § 202-11(E) in your letter.

9. Long dead-end fire apparatus access roads NYS Fire Code Appendix D, Table D103.4

Dead-end fire apparatus access roads longer than 750 feet trigger additional design requirements. This one is more than 7,000 feet, from Zena Highwoods Road to the farthest lot.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us. In your letter, ask the Planning Board to require a formal determination from the New York State Department of State before approving anything.

2. Dead-end road length § 202-32.D(1)

The maximum length for a dead-end road is 2,000 feet. The proposed road is more than 7,000 feet, ending in a cul-de-sac deep in the woods. Dead-end limits exist so emergency responders can reach you and so you can get out.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and name § 202-32.D(1) in your letter.

10. Two fire apparatus access roads NYS Fire Code Appendix D § D107.1

Developments of thirty or more dwelling units generally require two approved fire apparatus access roads. This proposal has thirty lots and one road.

Writing about this one? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us. In your letter, ask the Planning Board to require a formal determination from the New York State Department of State before approving anything.

————

A letter about Waiver #3 has been written! Please select a different waiver to write about.
3. Two means of access § 202-32.C: Subdivisions of twenty or more lots must have at least two connections to existing roads. This proposal has one way in and one way out for thirty lots. If that road is blocked by a fallen tree, a fire, a storm, or an accident, there is no second route.

4. Road width and shoulders § 202-32.G(4)

Major roads require 28 feet in total: a 20-foot surface plus 4-foot shoulders on each side. The proposal is roughly 20 feet of gravel with no compliant shoulders. Along the wetland there is no room for a shoulder at all. Shoulders are what let vehicles pass, give responders room to work, and keep people walking the road out of traffic. Widening a gravel road for construction traffic also means dust, at volumes the current road has never carried.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and then name § 202-32.G(4) in your letter.

6. Paving § 202-32.G(20)

Major roads require 28 feet in total: a 20-foot surface plus 4-foot shoulders on each side. The proposal is roughly 20 feet of gravel with no compliant shoulders. Along the wetland there is no room for a shoulder at all. Shoulders are what let vehicles pass, give responders room to work, and keep people walking the road out of traffic. Widening a gravel road for construction traffic also means dust, at volumes the current road has never carried.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and then name § 202-32.G(20) in your letter.

4. Road width and shoulders § 202-32.G(4)

Major roads require 28 feet in total: a 20-foot surface plus 4-foot shoulders on each side. The proposal is roughly 20 feet of gravel with no compliant shoulders. Along the wetland there is no room for a shoulder at all. Shoulders are what let vehicles pass, give responders room to work, and keep people walking the road out of traffic. Widening a gravel road for construction traffic also means dust, at volumes the current road has never carried.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and then name § 202-32.G(4) in your letter.

4. Road width and shoulders § 202-32.G(4)

Major roads require 28 feet in total: a 20-foot surface plus 4-foot shoulders on each side. The proposal is roughly 20 feet of gravel with no compliant shoulders. Along the wetland there is no room for a shoulder at all. Shoulders are what let vehicles pass, give responders room to work, and keep people walking the road out of traffic. Widening a gravel road for construction traffic also means dust, at volumes the current road has never carried.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and then name § 202-32.G(4) in your letter.

5. Subbase § 202-32.G(19)

Major roads require a 12-inch crushed stone subbase. None is proposed. The subbase is what lets a road carry a fire truck or a concrete truck without rutting or washing out. A road built below standard costs more to maintain, and the homeowners association proposed to maintain it does not exist yet.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and then name § 202-32.G(19) in your letter.

5. Subbase § 202-32.G(19)

Major roads require a 12-inch crushed stone subbase. None is proposed. The subbase is what lets a road carry a fire truck or a concrete truck without rutting or washing out. A road built below standard costs more to maintain, and the homeowners association proposed to maintain it does not exist yet.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and then name § 202-32.G(19) in your letter.

8. The access road must be suitably improved NYS Town Law § 280-a; Town of Woodstock Code § 202-29A.(5)

Building permits cannot be issued until the road providing access is suitably improved, and Woodstock requires private access roads to meet public road design standards. The developers have asked to waive nearly every standard that defines what "suitably improved" means. If every standard is waived, what is left of the word?

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and then name NYS Town Law § 280-a and Woodstock Code § 202-29A.(5) in your letter.

8. The access road must be suitably improved NYS Town Law § 280-a; Town of Woodstock Code § 202-29A.(5)

Building permits cannot be issued until the road providing access is suitably improved, and Woodstock requires private access roads to meet public road design standards. The developers have asked to waive nearly every standard that defines what "suitably improved" means. If every standard is waived, what is left of the word?

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and then name NYS Town Law § 280-a and Woodstock Code § 202-29A.(5) in your letter.

Number 11 below is a relevant concern about the review itself, not a waiver request.

11. Cross-municipal coordination SEQRA; General Municipal Law §§ 239-l–239-n

The subdivision is in Ulster. The road, and every burden it creates, is in Woodstock.

Writing about this one? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us. In your letter, ask the Planning Board to say on the record what coordination with Ulster actually happened.

These are not waiver requests. They are concerns that the review has been incomplete. They belong in the record, but they are a different kind of ask.

11. Cross-municipal coordination SEQRA; General Municipal Law §§ 239-l–239-n

The subdivision is in Ulster. The road, and every burden it creates, is in Woodstock.

Writing about this one? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us. In your letter, ask the Planning Board to say on the record what coordination with Ulster actually happened.

12. Easement disclosure SEQRA EAF Part 1, Question 16

Easements affecting Eastwoods Drive appear not to have been accurately disclosed in the project record.

Writing about this one? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us. In your letter, ask the Planning Board to require an accurate easement disclosure before it acts.

13. Segmentation SEQRA, 6 NYCRR § 617

The houses cannot exist without the road, and the road has no purpose without the houses. Reviewed separately, no single body has looked at the whole project.

Writing about this one? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us. In your letter, ask the Planning Board to put the concern on the record before it acts.

These are requests the Woodstock Planning Board can grant or deny outright. A letter about one of these has the most direct effect.

1. The blanket request Town of Woodstock Code § 202-32

A road serving eleven or more lots must be built to major road standards. Rather than address each standard one at a time, the developers asked the Planning Board to waive the Section 202-32 road design standards as a whole: fifteen pages of code.

Writing about this one? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us you’ve taken it and then name § 202-32 in your letter.

2. Dead-end road length § 202-32.D(1)

The maximum length for a dead-end road is 2,000 feet. The proposed road is more than 7,000 feet, ending in a cul-de-sac deep in the woods. Dead-end limits exist so emergency responders can reach you and so you can get out.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and then name § 202-32.D(1) in your letter.

3. Two means of access § 202-32.C

Subdivisions of twenty or more lots must have at least two connections to existing roads. This proposal has one way in and one way out for thirty lots. If that road is blocked by a fallen tree, a fire, a storm, or an accident, there is no second route.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and name § 202-32.C in your letter.

4. Road width and shoulders § 202-32.G(4)

Major roads require 28 feet in total: a 20-foot surface plus 4-foot shoulders on each side. The proposal is roughly 20 feet of gravel with no compliant shoulders. Along the wetland there is no room for a shoulder at all. Shoulders are what let vehicles pass, give responders room to work, and keep people walking the road out of traffic. Widening a gravel road for construction traffic also means dust, at volumes the current road has never carried.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and then name § 202-32.G(4) in your letter.

5. Subbase § 202-32.G(19)

Major roads require a 12-inch crushed stone subbase. None is proposed. The subbase is what lets a road carry a fire truck or a concrete truck without rutting or washing out. A road built below standard costs more to maintain, and the homeowners association proposed to maintain it does not exist yet.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and then name § 202-32.G(19) in your letter.

6. Paving § 202-32.G(20)

Roads serving more than eleven lots must be paved. Woodstock's own environmental consultant warned that paving Eastwoods Drive would damage the wetlands alongside it. The developers' answer is to skip the paving and ask for a waiver, which leaves the Board choosing between road safety and the wetland.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and then name § 202-32.G(20) in your letter.

7. Adequate emergency access § 202-11(E)

Subdivision roads must provide adequate access for fire, police, and emergency medical services. Reviewing the developers' own documents for the Planning Board, consulting engineer Stephan A. Maffia, P.E., called the proposal "unacceptably excessive roadway lengths with regard to safety," warning that a blockage could delay fire, police, and EMS response. He measured the access road at more than 7,000 feet.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and then name § 202-11(E) in your letter.

8. The access road must be suitably improved NYS Town Law § 280-a; Town of Woodstock Code § 202-29A.(5)

Building permits cannot be issued until the road providing access is suitably improved, and Woodstock requires private access roads to meet public road design standards. The developers have asked to waive nearly every standard that defines what "suitably improved" means. If every standard is waived, what is left of the word?

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us, and then name NYS Town Law § 280-a and Woodstock Code § 202-29A.(5) in your letter.

The Woodstock Planning Board has no authority to set these aside. Only the New York State Department of State can grant a variance from the Uniform Code. If you write about these, ask the Board to require a formal determination from the state before approving anything.

9. Long dead-end fire apparatus access roads NYS Fire Code Appendix D, Table D103.4

Dead-end fire apparatus access roads longer than 750 feet trigger additional design requirements. This one is more than 7,000 feet, from Zena Highwoods Road to the farthest lot.

Writing about this waiver? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us. In your letter ask the Planning Board to require a formal determination from the New York State Department of State before approving anything.

10. Two fire apparatus access roads NYS Fire Code Appendix D § D107.1

Developments of thirty or more dwelling units generally require two approved fire apparatus access roads. This proposal has thirty lots and one road.

Writing about this one? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us. In your letter ask the Planning Board to require a formal determination from the New York State Department of State before approving anything.

These are not waiver requests. They are concerns that the review has been incomplete. They belong in the record, but they are a different kind of ask.

11. Cross-municipal coordination SEQRA; General Municipal Law §§ 239-l–239-n

The subdivision is in Ulster. The road, and every burden it creates, is in Woodstock.

Writing about this one? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us. In your letter, ask the Planning Board to say on the record what coordination with Ulster actually happened.

12. Easement disclosure SEQRA EAF Part 1, Question 16

Easements affecting Eastwoods Drive appear not to have been accurately disclosed in the project record.

Writing about this one? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us. In your letter, ask the Planning Board to require an accurate easement disclosure before it acts.

13. Segmentation SEQRA, 6 NYCRR § 617

The houses cannot exist without the road, and the road has no purpose without the houses. Reviewed separately, no single body has looked at the whole project.

Writing about this one? Scroll to the bottom of this page and complete the form to tell us. In your letter, ask the Planning Board to put the concern on the record before it acts.