By PATRICK BOISI Staff Reporter

AMENIA — Small, orange signs have popped up in Amenia and Wassaic in the last month.

The signs have the words "master plan" in a circle with a line through it and the phrase "save Taconic and Amenia together."

The signs were distributed by a newly formed residents’ group called Concerned Citizens of Amenia.

The master plan on the sign refers to the draft comprehensive plan recently-submitted to the Town Board by the Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee (CPIC). CPIC also handed in a draft zoning law.

Both documents are being reviewed by the Town Board through a long-form Environmental Assessment Form (EAF), a State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA)-sanctioned document that will assess whether or not the draft plan and law will have a negative impact on the town of Amenia.

Another issue is the Taconic Developmental Disabilities Services Offices (DDSO), in the hamlet of Wassaic. Residents have claimed that members of CPIC called for the closure of the facility, although those claims have been denied and any and all reference to closure has been stricken from the draft plan.

"We’re not in agreement with the master plan. We don’t like the zoning codes and the closure of the Taconic DDSO," said Evelyn "Frankie" O’Connell, a member of Concerned Citizens of Amenia. "It’s very restrictive to commercial businesses and we don’t understand it all because we haven’t had enough time to review it and we haven’t had enough clarifications on our questions about it."

The Citizens originally had 50 signs made, but the demand has been so great that 100 more have been ordered.

"We’re getting so many requests for more," said O’Connell.

She, as well as other members of the group, have started a petition against CPIC’s work that calls for an in-depth review of the two documents by the Dutchess County Department of Planning and Zoning.

The Citizens have collected 400 signatures so far.

"We’re not in agreement with it, that’s what the petition says," O’Connell explained. "All we ask for is another plan. This plan is very restrictive to the taxpayers. Some people say we don’t want a plan but we do."

 

 

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