PHILIPSTOWN – Officials in Cold Spring and Philipstown have voted to sue the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail Inc. and the State Parks Department alleging an environmental review for the 7.5-mile trail is insufficient.
The western Putnam municipalities contend that the Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement has failed to comply with the requirements of the State Environmental Quality Review Act since it failed to address issues such as the analysis of environmental impacts, infrastructure demands, traffic, parking, public safety and consistency with local land use controls.
The lawsuit will be filed in Putnam County State Supreme Court state under Article 78 of New York Civil Practice Law and Rules.
Cold Spring Village Mayor Kathleen Foley and Philipstown Town Supervisor John Van Tassel each noted that the impact statement inadequately addressed village and town concerns about environmental impact, traffic, parking, and public safety.
Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail issued a statement concerning the pending litigation:
“Article 78 proceedings challenging environmental reviews carry a high burden of proof for the plaintiffs, which is very rarely met when an EIS has been prepared. Taxpayers of Cold Spring and Philipstown are being asked to fund a frivolous and expensive lawsuit.”
The Fjord Trail Inc proposes to build a 7.5-mile-long publicly accessible linear park that is a shared-use pedestrian and bicycle trail. The park would run along the eastern shore of the Hudson River between the Beacon and Cold Spring.
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