He was followed by Kathy Cartagena, longtime director of Family, who said that she could not “begin to express how much Josie has done for Family of New Paltz through fundraising support, donations. If it weren’t for the small businesses in New Paltz like Moxie Cupcake and others, we could not survive. Please let her expand and help keep local businesses in town and strong.”
KT Tobin noted that this was the “third time in a very short period that I’ve come to your meeting to support a local business owned and operated by a woman. I speak on behalf of myself and Theresa Fall [who recently opened Jar’d and went through a similar process] when I say that we are super-enthusiastic about Moxie Cupcake’s expansion, moving so close to the middle school. It’s a great business for that location and I hope, from this point on, she can sail through this process.”
Tobin went on to say that in her estimation it was time that “we look at this process. Something is not right here, when there is so much tension and stress over locally owned businesses wanting to open or expand. The cost involved has become prohibitive. I don’t want to see us price local people out of New Paltz who are invested in this community and want to start or expand businesses here.”
The support for Moxie Cupcakes being a comfortable, kid-friendly bakery/coffeehouse continued, and when the public was finished speaking and encouraging the Planning Board to act, Chairman Whiteman said that the board could do nothing until money was put in the escrow account.
“This is not personal. We all believe that you’re a good person, and I want to get one of those delicious cupcakes. But this is about following the process as we’re required to in accordance with the code, and I don’t want to put the Village Board or you at risk if we do not follow this process,” said Whiteman.
Rich Steffens, a Planning Board member, asked if they could at least discuss the few revisions that Eriole had made to the site plan at the request of the consultants. Whiteman said that in his estimation there was really no point until the board heard back from the consultants.
The New Paltz Times asked why the full-time village planner, who was sitting at the table, could not comment on the site plan revisions, as they did not involve any engineering but only cosmetic changes. Curt Lavalla said that he was there to assist the Planning Board if it requested that of him, but the board did not. “I don’t understand why you cannot discuss the site plan revisions,” said Eriole. “They are very minor.”
Several supporters of Eriole and patrons of her business — which has grown from a brick-and-mortar operation to a thriving local and regional business — said that they were upset about the process and the cost to Eriole. “There is no new construction! What do they need to pay an engineer $1,600 for?” said one of her customers. “We want to keep local and small businesses here and not big-box stores, but this process is making that very cost-preventative,” said Visk.
Whiteman said that the Planning Board could discuss it at its next meeting if “funds were put into the escrow account for their consultants.”
