Esopus Welcomes Development, Confronts Infrastructure Challenges
(Photo: 100-unit high-density apartment complex under construction on Mountainview Ave in Town of Esopus)
(Written by Jesse Smith for Ulster Strong)
Nearly a decade after Esopus adopted a comprehensive plan, town officials say the vision is becoming reality with a wave of development that includes major hospitality venues and new residential construction in the exact areas where they were anticipated. But challenges remain, including a lull in infrastructure and grant funding that has left the town playing catch up to accommodate recent growth.
Known for its natural beauty since at least the 19th century when famed naturalist John Borroughs made his home there, Esopus had been well positioned to capitalize on the Hudson Valley’s post-pandemic tourism boom. Borrough’s legacy lives in the town’s five nature preserves, including one named for him. During the 19th and early 20th centuries the town also became a magnet for religious orders drawn there by its beauty and solitude. Orders like the Jesuits and church leaders like Mother Cabrini bought sprawling Gilded Age riverfront estates where they founded seminaries, convents orphanages and retreat centers.
The religious institutions’ presence had the unintended consequence of sparing the town’s Hudson River waterfront for industrialization and subsequent deindustrialization. While communities like neighboring Kingston spent years and millions of tax dollars cleaning up the detritus of industry to pivot towards a tourism-centered waterfront, Esopus’ frontage on the Hudson remained pristine. Now as the religious orders dwindle to a handful of aging members, they have begun either selling off parcels for private development or exploring new uses.
“If they see an opportunity that sort of fits in with their values and what they’re trying to do, they’re interested,” said Pecora “The issue is, some of them have to get approval straight from the top in Rome, which can take time.”
And, while the nature preserves and religious sites do not contribute to the town’s tax base, they create an environment that helps support businesses that do. Over the past decade a cluster of hospitality-centered businesses has emerged in the hamlet of West Park on the southern edge of Esopus. They include the Great Life Brewing Company, the Hudson House distillery and the Red Maple Winery. Most recently, the team behind the Emerson resort in Shandaken has invested $38 million to create the Esopus Barns, another luxury resort scheduled to open in 2027. The hamlet is also home to the Headless Horseman haunted hayride which has grown from a regional event to one of the nation’s top Halloween attractions drawing an average of 60,000 visitors and creating hundreds of jobs during its annual six-week season.
The town’s residential sector has also been growing with construction underway on a 100-unit high-density apartment complex, and a mixed use project that includes 16 units of townhouse style housing development in Port Ewen. The two projects, Pecora said had paid over $350,000 into the town’s recreation fund allowing for some much-needed upgrades in Esopus’ park system. Meanwhile the Bruderhof religious community, based in Esopus where it has a factory that produces playground equipment and adaptive gear for disabled adults and children, is poised to expand their footprint in town. By acquiring the former site of a microfilm company in Port Ewen, they plan to house a new manufacturing operation.
Deputy Town Supervisor Shannon Harris said that she has started to see positive signs of growth in town, including an uptick in enrollment in the New Paltz School District which serves West Park, and an increase in applications for building permits. Harris said the town’s location along the 9W corridor, with easy access to other thriving Ulster County communities, was helping to drive that growth.
“We have good connectivity with hubs like New Paltz and Highland where we’re seeing a lot of residential and some business development, and Kingston,” said Harris. “We’re this natural corridor in between those hubs with access to the Rondout Creek and everything that’s happening in Kingston, and on the southern end where there’s access to New Paltz - our hamlets are thriving.”
Despite the positive indicators, Pecora said that the town was struggling to overhaul and expand infrastructure to support the recent growth. The town recently created a new sewer district to serve the Lakeshore Villa’s apartment complex and is in the process of a $1.2 million sewer line replacement project in Port Ewen. Pecora has also put his department heads to work developing a five-year capital plan for priority projects. Harris, who was Town Supervisor in 2018, said that the town had managed to get $5.1 million in grants and other funding in conjunction with the adoption of the master plan. But since then, she said grants and member item funding from state and federal officials had largely dried up. Pecora said that since taking office he had made it a priority to cultivate relationships with elected officials like U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, Senator Chuck Schumer and State Sen. Michelle Hinchey in an effort to secure funding for infrastructure.
“We’re under a lot of stress, costs are through the roof and there’s a lot of work to be done,” said Pecora. “I need millions and I am doing a great deal to advocate for that kind of funding.”