News stories tagged with "acr"

(11/21/11) On Friday, the Adirondack Park Agency commission delved deep into the business plan for the proposed Adirondack Club and Resort. The APA will vote in January on whether to approve the massive project, which supporters hope will revitalize the economy in Tupper Lake. The development has been on the drawing table for years, with more than seven hundred condos and mansions, along with a marina, equestrian center and modern ski hill.

One part of the Park Agency's review involves determining whether the project will have negative economic impacts on the community. As Brian Mann reports, that effort is complicated by the fact that there are still a lot of unanswered questions about how the resort will be financed and built. more

(11/18/11) Yesterday was the first full day of public deliberations for the Adirondack Park Agency as commisioners consider a permit for the Big Tupper resort project.

The massive resort - with more than 700 homes, condos and mansions -- has developed into a flashpoint in debates over the Park's future and a final vote is expected in January.

On Thursday, commissioners heard testimony over a wide range of topics. But a key focus was the lack of comprehensive scientific data showing the resort's impact on wildlife.

As Brian Mann reports, specific concerns were raised about the construction of one new neighborhood that could displace amphibian species. more

(04/22/11) For seven years, developer Michael Foxman has been promising to build a massive new resort in Tupper Lake, worth roughly $500 million.

He's hoping to win final approval for the project from the Adirondack Park Agency this fall.

Many community leaders have embraced his vision as a way to revive a former logging and manufacturing town that lost seven percent of its population over the last decade.

But an investigation by North Country Public Radio, in partnership with the Adirondack Explorer magazine, found that significant doubts remain about the economic viability of Foxman's resort.

Over a period of weeks and dozens of interviews, we found that important questions remain unanswered about how the resort will be financed and marketed.

As Brian Mann reports, it's unclear when the project's elaborate infrastructure and amenities, including those at the Big Tupper ski area, will be built. more

(04/22/11) The story reported above by Brian Mann, in cooperation with the Adirondack Explorer, looks hard at the financial underpinnings of the big luxury resort project proposed for Tupper Lake several years ago. It raises complicated questions and concerns still on the table as the Adirondack Park Agency prepares for its final review, and decision.
Martha Foley spoke further with Brian this morning about the skepticism he found, and why these questions matters.

(03/10/11) The Adirondack Park Agency's staff has released a draft version of what the state is calling "potential permit conditions" that would shape the big new resort proposed for Tupper Lake.

APA officials say those conditions for the Adirondack Club and Resort could change following a final round of hearings that are set to get underway later this month.

The project also needs a final vote of approval from the APA board.

But it appears that the Park Agency's staff is preparing to recommend that the project be allowed to move forward with some relatively minor changes and restrictions.

Jessica Collier broke the story about these APA documents in yesterday's Adirondack Daily Enterprise. She spoke about her story with Brian Mann. more

(01/20/11) After years of public review, town hall meetings, mediation sessions and negotiations, the Adirondack Club and Resort project is entering its final phase.

An adjudicatory hearing will begin soon, possibly as early as next month, overseen by administrative law judge Daniel O'Connell.

When that hearing is finished, the Adirondack Park Agency will have sixty days to vote on whether the 600-unit resort should be given a permit or not.

But as Brian Mann reports, the various factions taking part in the hearing are still as deeply divided over key issues as they were half a decade ago. more

(01/19/11) The debate over the Adirondack Club and Resort proposed for Tupper Lake has been underway in various forms for nearly seven years.

Developer Michael Foxman wants to build roughly six hundred mansions, homes and condos, while also reopening the Big Tupper ski resort.

Now the process is winding to a close, with the Adirondack Park Agency expected to vote on a permit sometime later this winter.

Today and tomorrow, we will be looking at how the final steps in this process could play out.

As Brian Mann reports, some Park Agency commissioners worry that after years of debate and delay, their decision could be made in haste. more

(09/10/10) Developers of a new resort in Tupper Lake won a major victory yesterday when a local jury awarded them road access to a 1200-acre parcel of land.

The decision will allow the Adirondack Club and Resort to maintain a short road easement across neighboring property owned by the Adirondack Nature Conservancy.

The company says they needed access in order to move their project forward. The green group says the developers wanted to take their private property rights.

Brian Mann was in Tupper Lake and has our story. more

(09/18/07) The judge handling the hearing into the proposed Adirondack Club and Resort says talks will resume next month in Tupper Lake. In a letter sent Friday, Judge Daniel O'Connell made no decisions about developer Michael Foxman's request for mediation with pro-environment groups that oppose the project. O'Connell says the next hearing will be used to hash out whether mediation might be productive. The developer has specifically requested a chance to negotiate directly with the Adirondack Council. The Council has agreed to consider talks, but spokesman John Sheehan told Brian Mann that Michael Foxman's request appears to be a delaying tactic.