Griffin also brought in the Declaration of Independence, noting that America’s Founding Fathers didn’t “choose communism” in 1776. Charges of communism have been leveled at various times against opponents of the Park Point tax abatement. But Town Board members rebutted that.
“I’m a huge fan of capitalism,” Councilman Jeff Logan said. It would have been impossible for Thomas Jefferson or George Washington to choose communism during the Revolution, given that Karl Marx didn’t develop his economic theories until the 1840s.
At various times in the night, Wilmorite’s lawyer accused town officials of being childish, grandstanding or taking cheap shots by asking why Park Point couldn’t be built if assessed at more than $12 million.
During a discussion of water and sewer at the site, Griffin pressed the Town Board to say they wanted Wilmorite to build that facility. The company plans to build $4.5 million in water and sewage treatment infrastructure on eight of the 50 acres.
“Are you ready to be an adult?” the lawyer asked the board.
Town officials want full taxation because they believe the New Paltz Police Department would need more officers to respond to late-night calls and bar fights caused by 700 new students living in town.
“One call to the town for a lockout, which takes 15 minutes of one police officer’s time, is not equivalent to one call downtown, which is five officers there for 2 hours breaking up a bar fight,” Supervisor Susan Zimet said.
Zimet added: “Come to New Paltz at 2 o’clock in the morning and see what our community is like. You’ll think you’re in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. I’m not kidding.”
Town Board members agreed to continue to meet with Wilmorite to discuss a tax deal. They approved Kevin Barry to be their spokesperson.
Barry said he’d be willing to sign a confidentiality agreement and look at a pro forma document — listing the income, overhead and projected financing for Park Point.
Griffin estimated that Wilmorite has paid $4 million in soft costs so far for Park Point — including a ground lease to hold the land with its owner, the SUNY New Paltz Foundation.
Members of the public also weren’t too happy with the presentation. Ira Margolis said he felt like the developer wasn’t leveling with the public.
“They believe in capitalism, etc. But apparently they only believe in capitalism as long as they get corporate welfare,” Margolis said.
Marty Irwin, of New Paltz, couldn’t understand why Wilmorite said they couldn’t build without a tax break. Park Point is applying to the IDA under a PILOT category for dormitory housing — a category that didn’t exist until 2012.
Wilmorite publicly announced its intention to build Park Point back in 2009 — well before that PILOT category existed.
“My problem is that four years ago, when you folks came here, you must have developed a pro forma that said the project worked. Or you wouldn’t have invested some of that $4 million of soft costs you spoke to,” Irwin said.
Rival landlords are against Wilmorite getting a tax break, because they think it’d create an uneven playing field in the rental market.
Town and village officials — along with Democrats at the county level — have all come out against the PILOT agreement.
SUNY New Paltz officials would like the project to be built, because they believe the new apartments will make room for transfer students struggling to find housing vacancies.
Wilmorite hopes to get its approvals by the end of March and start building in May. However, New Paltz Town Planning Board members have yet to finish their site plan review of the project. They also have to finish a SEQRA.
No, not having other options for student housing create an “uneven playing field in the rental market.” If landlords would think about the students for once, and not think about them greedy selves, students would be paying significantly less in rent. $650 without utilities for an unfurnished cramped room in a house that is on the brink of falling apart? Please. Go to any other SUNY school that has housing for transfer students and upperclassmen and you will find very decent places, fully furnished, in the heart of town for $350 a month, let alone $650. The students of New Paltz have nowhere else to go, and these slumlords like to take advantage of this by charging whatever they feel like to make a good profit. Rent estimates have the rent for these places at no more than $450 a month. They upkeep their places as little as possible, and try to get every last penny out of these poor students’ security deposits when the year is through. Maybe Park Point isn’t the answer, but New Paltz needs to start cracking down on these slumlords, enough is enough.
That’s really thnniikg of the highest order