Nearly two-and-a-half years after Phillip Rapoport and Kristin Soong Rapoport first came before Gardiner officials to broach the subject of their Heartwood eco-cabin project in Tuthilltown, the Planning Board voted at its July 16 meeting to put its imprimatur on the final version of the site plan, dated July 8.
The citizens’ group Friends of Gardiner, claiming to represent more than 300 Gardinerites, has filed an Article 78 legal action against the town of Gardiner challenging the approval on January 17 of the special permit, site plan and subdivision request for the Heartwood project, a lodging facility with 70 cabins, restaurant and event barn.
The development, called Heartwood, is a 70-unit boutique lodging facility, farm and restaurant on 141 acres, capable of hosting over 100 guests at one time. It’s located on the northern bank of the Shawangunk Kill, next door to the Tuthilltown Spirits distillery.
Heartwood 70-unit eco-cabin resort gets neg dec, Shaft Road easement OKed, Jacqueline Estates gets final plot approved.
The plan, dubbed “Heartwood,” would convert an old timber farm into a camping resort including a variety of amenities such that it’s been dubbed a “glampground,” a portmanteau of “glamor campground.”
With 200-300 people per day, not counting their families, downtown Gardiner will be like the Port Authority in New York City with people all over the sidewalk, people trying to get to the post office, which should not be where it is now, and the cars and trucks that come around the bend.
The Tuthilltown neighborhood of Gardiner may soon be home to a 70-unit year-round ecotourism accommodation on the north bank of the Shawangunk Kill.