This proposal is ridiculous, And i i'm completely opposed to it. this
kind of developement lacks imagination like everything else proposed or in developement. look at the overblown scale of that hideous structure across from the quaker house. look at the last open spaces along 9w being eaten up by architecturally depraved design with no real demand for the projects. look along 9w there a mostly vacant spaces. look at main street the same. the nyma site is incredible. who could conceive of black topping this gem, tear down the marvolous buildings and construct more hideous bldgs. Sustainablity is the direction for cornwall. why not fall back on the industries hat first establish this community, like farming, raise sheep for wool, build a eco friendly nitting factory, develope the storm king theatre and start a film festival and a music festival. develope a center for a small business's.
i'm sure that there is more brain power amongst us corwallians to move forward in the 21st century in a way that will make it possible for the next generation to stay in there hometown, work in there home town and take unlimited pride in living and growing in a small town in america. Keep it a village, we don't need more outside developement. because these people think they now whats best for you and cornwall.look around and see the incredibly unique place that we call home. Now lets look at its potential and realize small is beautiful. no more blacktop, box stores that ruin local economies, fight back town boards roll up your sleeves and find seed money for locals to create imaginative business that we can all get behind, Organic restaurants, more small service shops, bookstores etc etc,
thankyou for the place
H an k
Get well Judy

I completely agree with H and K. The development of this small town is outrageous. We should preserve our small town. We seem to be a target to developers. The congestion will soon be apparent.
KE

I agree, I grew up in Cornwall and have always loved the small home town feeling. I have always felt safe in Cornwall. Why do we need a shopping center and a 150 room hotel? To bring more people into our small town? The more people the less small town it will become. After all, isn't that why the people moved in from the BIG CITIES ? Because they were crowded and too many cars for their roads? Isn't that what would happen if the Town and Village government let people come in and build a Big Hotel and shopping plaza. Why not use the buildings that are empty and keep Cornwall "Green" The more you build the more people will come and that means more cars burning gas. What will happen to "Our Beautiful Hudson Valley??? Ask yourselves that.I guess it all comes down to $$$$. But guess whose pockets it's going into, not Cornwall's And all we will have to show for it will be empty buildings. Just look at Newburgh. Broadway is a very good example. Let those developers buy parts of Broadway and clean up that area. There are many buildings that are vacant that can be either restored or leveled. Is that what the people of Cornwall want. our beautiful little town will one day look like Broadway in Newburgh.

That is the dumbest idea that I've heard today. This area does not need another supermarket and doesn't need a major chain hotel.

We have 3 major super markets within 3 miles of Cornwall as well as one in town. Dr.'s offices? What Dr's? There is a national shortage of prmiary and specialty physicians and if space were in fact needed there are dozens of buildings with avaialbe space right now in Cornwall, not to mention the white elephant of physician offices that is Cornwall Hospital.

This land deal has been three decades in the making. As a former summer employee at NYMA (riding counselor) and Cadet 1972, I have personally seen the selling off of NYMA over the years. This is a BAD move on the part of the residents of Cornwall not to look into this NYMA land selling, and how Mr. Amato got the 197.7 acres in the first place. Fairleigh Dickinson, former NYMA graduate and horeman, even on the transfer deed of the land from NYMA to him, wrote that the land would always belong to NYMA "as long as it remained opened as a school." Residents should be asking how Mr. Amato got the land for a $1 from the Bank of New York? Why the Town attorney at the time, 1999, we representing all three sides in the transaction, the Town, the Academy and the Dickinson Estate. Why he then retracted his representation from the Academy and the Dickinson's after the paper wrote of it. Why the Academy administration of former Superintendent Lyle was being offered $250,000 to quietly let the deal go through. The 35 acres still in NYMA hands, was left in Academy ownership by Dickinson, a developer himself, because he knew it controlled the best access point of any future development of Routes 9W and Route 218. Dickinson had helped NYMA with paying off debt to the Newburgh banks, and relunctely took the deed from NYMA for his help. He weote that the land would however be NYMA's as long as the school existed. The fact that Betty Dicksinson, after offering it to NYMA free and was turned down, finally gave it to Mr. Amato for a buck, should be seriously looked into, not to mention what is going on now with NYMA land sales talk. Once this final 35 acres west of Route 9W and NYMA is gone, Cornwall will change forever. Col. M. Russell Blair, recently departed, knew this all to well. He helped handle many of these earlier Dickinson dealings with the Academy and tried to let people know what was going on, but appears that people didn't listen. Mr. Amato is saying he plans to start Cornwall Commons by late 2010. Residents of Cornwall opposed to this project need to educated themselves on the long history of this land, the special interests and players in it, and how Mr. Amato ended up with 197 acres of prime upstate NY land for a dollar, and what's going on now with the final 35 acres, not to mention other NYMA land. It's your town...there are those out here that know first hand the stories tat occured throughout the years. Educated yourselves before the Commons, Phase Two, is sitting right at the head of Main Street.

As a news reporter of almost 40 years now in South Florida, I recently helped get NYMA some attention from the press in its story to get alumni to donate or the school might close. See related comment on that story here...(My relationship with the school forever changed over that story). I graduated in 1972 from an institution that carried the motto, "A Cadet will not lie, steal or cheat." I have nothing to gain in Cownall. I've lived in Miami since graduating in 1972, but you have all to lose of the nature of your beautiful town, and the massive developments heading right at you. It's time that you educated yourselves to the real facts...I will no longer lie about, nor hold ack on the subject. The only gain I could have possibly gotten would be that of a horse alumni, and that the horse stables (now closed up since 1998) used this land historically for riding events and letting the horses out. In 1999, 10 alumni came back to try to open the stables once again, and were met with tremendous resistance. The land is the key to all the stories and rumors in Cownall. In another story here on your pages, you read how NYMA alumni came to "speculate" about the academy closing, when it was really due to direct emails from a Board of Trustees member...I learned at NYMA not to lie, steal or cheat, but it makes me wonder how many of my former Cadre have forgotten this! For those residents of Cornwall NOT happy with the Cornwall Commons plans or in any other suggestions over building in your nice little town, the time is NOW, to find out what is going on and do what you have to, and make sure Cornwall is not overtaken by the developers. It's in YOUR hands, not mine.

Sale - The Farm Land In Question. Public Record Links For Those Who Want To Know. Personal Remarks On This Issue!
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Thursday, March 19, 2009 at 4:43am | Edit Note | Delete
Some of you have expressed interest in NYMA selling the old farm land west of Route 9W. Captain R.D. Watts recently wrote of it in the previous dialog. In case you're interested, below are public access links to the deed transfer from the Orange Country Clerk of the Courts, Records Division.

The records concerning the earlier transfer of the 197.70 acres to the Dickinson's, held in estate
by the Bank of New York:

http://propertydata.orangecountygov.com/imate/propdetail.aspx?swis=332489&Printkey=00900000010252200000

The 35 acres that NYMA still owns and is considering selling now:

http://propertydata.orangecountygov.com/imate/propdetail.aspx?swis=332489&printkey=00900000010251000000

Just to set the record correct and straight!
NYMA farm land west of Route 9W
Past and Currently Owned.

From the NYMA CHATTER Facebook site, NOT associated with NYMA, but run by Alumni For Alumni by South Florida Publisher Eric Shore, NYMA Class of 1972.