#16: November 2005

Hiddenbrooke – the Developer Responds

By Michael Daecher ⋅ November 6, 2005 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

by Jack Sine

With new houses springing up all
over Beacon, open land in the city is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.
That is the main reason the Dispatch ran an article in the September issue
detailing the difficulties of building on the Hiddenbrooke property on DePuyster Avenue, a 123 acre wooded site formerly owned by the Ursiline Sisters and now the property of developer Larry
Kalkstein’s Preshrock Corporation.

The primary deterrent to development noted in the previous article was water.
During the rainy season, runoff creates serious problems for the residents of Jessen Park, a development that was once part of Hiddenbrooke. As resident Bernadette Clemens noted, “When it rains, the
mountain weeps and we get floods in Jessen Park.”

But
Larry Kalkstein says he has a solution not only for his proposed development,
but also for

Jessen

Park

.

“We’re
creating our own retention pond for runoff,” said Kalkstein. “And, even though
we’re under no obligation to do so, we’re willing to give the city an easement
on our property so they can create a drainage district that will direct runoff
away from

Jessen

Park

and into our pond.”

As
Kalkstein sees it, the expense of creating this drainage district would be
absorbed by the city and would be paid for over a 30 year period by the home
owners in

Jessen

Park

.

“It
would be a very small amount when spread over that time,” he said.

The
retention pond appears to be a sound idea and it conforms with new storm water
quality regulations that require that runoff from storms be treated by removing
sediment before releasing the water back into the environment. While a manmade
pond serves this purpose, it isn’t a perfect solution as can be seen by the
pond in

Jessen

Park

.
The sediment has collected to such a level that the pond is now very shallow
and holds very little runoff. Dredging can be done, but it is expensive and the
recovered sediment presents disposal difficulties.

Another
problem may be created by the removal of trees during construction. Shannon
Murphy is the granddaughter of David Burke who was the Hiddenbrooke caretaker
for more than 30 years.

“Years
ago they sold logging rights on the property and the result was disastrous,”
Murphy said. “The runoff increased hugely.’

She
sees the present plan as creating more problems with drainage than anticipated
by Kalkstein.

“

Jessen

Park

is an example of what happens
when you build on watershed lands,” she said. “And

Jessen

Park

is just on the edge of the
property. Where they propose building is much worse. The place is loaded with
natural springs.”

But
Kalkstein doesn’t see it as that big a problem. He points out that there are
many ways of dealing with groundwater. The real difficulty right now is that no
one really knows how much water will be generated in rainy seasons and what
steps will need to be taken to permit building. Engineers for the developer
have to do a study that will include water problems, then that study has to be
assessed by the city’s engineers. There is still a possibility that the amount
of potential runoff would make it financially unfeasible to build there.

Kalkstein
recognizes the possibility, but thinks it unlikely. He maintains that his
“cluster” design is the best way to use the property.

“We
have been sensitive to the needs of the people involved. We’re willing to help
relieve the runoff from those in

Jessen

Park

” he said. “We have listened to
the other residents on the property, the Carmelite Sisters, the Burkes, and the
Van Burens. They all agree that our current development plan is the best way to
go and they’ve told us so.”

The
current plan calls for 61 town houses to be built on the flatter portion of the
Hiddenbrooke property that parallels DePuyster. That number is down from 78
units originally proposed. But there are ongoing problems with zoning and the
city’s new master plan.

 â€œWe
don’t want to develop the entire property,” said Robert Kalkstein, Larry’s son.
“Our plan is to give 80 acres back to the city and the Sisters. That way, the
City of

Beacon

can still have open
space and the Carmelite Sisters can have a buffer zone.”

 But
the city is looking into rezoning the property and changing it from its current
quarter acre zoning to one acre in the front, two acres further in, and three
acres in the back.

 â€œThat
would not be a good idea,” said Larry. “That would force us to do away with the
affordable town house concept and build bigger houses throughout the property.”

 The
new master plan may also change zoning in the area, but that is still in the
development stages.

Other logistical problems

 Other complaints from residents and
city council members focused on the need to provide drinking water to all of
the new homes, the already distressed sewage system in the neighborhood, and
the overcrowded schools. Larry Kalkstein doesn’t see it as his problem.

“That’s
what a municipality has to do – provide schooling, water, and waste disposal,”
he said.

Although
Kalkstein says that if everything went his way he could be breaking ground
within a year, it looks like this project is a long way from being getting off
the ground.

“It’s
a very long process,” said Mayor Clara Lou Gould. “It will take a very long
time to decide if Kalkstein will be permitted to build. His plans still have to
be approved by the city council and the planning board and the new master plan
may not permit building there.”

Kalkstein
is open to other possibilities, such as selling the property to the city.

“I’m
a capitalist,” he said. “If I can realize a profit by selling the property
instead of developing it, I’d be foolish not to.”

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