RAY BROOK - A large scale project consisting of townhouses and a lodge received the go-ahead by the state Adirondack Park Agency Friday.

The "Tall Timbers at North Creek" project includes 17 multi-family townhouses that would make up 66 units, in addition to seven single-family townhouses.

The lodge would contain 25 rooms, a 150-seat restaurant conference room, lounge, fitness center and swimming pool.

There were few members in the audience during the discussion of this project to express either support or opposition.

Perhaps that's because the project is set in the hamlet of North Creek, which allows for intensive development.

"Looking at the (APA) Act, if you're going to have intensive development the hamlet is the place," said APA Planner John Quinn.

Commissioners did express concern about the project's impact on affordable housing and traffic.

"That's a fairly tight area," said Commissioner James Townsend, referring to the roadways near the project.

Department of State designee Bob Elliot said that a diversity of housing is needed for a healthy community.

"I do worry about affordable housing and gentrification," Elliot said.

In a phone interview with the Enterprise, Tall Timbers developer Al Grippaldi said that affordable housing needs have are already being met in the community by ComLinks housing.

Grippaldi also said the expensive nature of getting approval to build makes it cost-prohibitive to constructing housing affordable.

"You can't just wave a magic wand and have affordable homes," he said. "It's not that easy."

He also said workers who will be employed in the construction of the project already live locally, so there won't be a need to provide housing for them.

Grippaldi, who is a seasonal resident in North Creek, said his project will meet the need for ski lodging accommodations at nearby Gore Mountain. But it won't be focused just on the winter. He hopes to draw people in the area for hiking, rafting and other recreational activities.

"I've been saying for many years I see the need for rooms," he said.

He plans to start clearing land by November, with the hope of opening the lodge next year, he said.

Several letters were submitted to the APA expressing reservations about the project. One of those was from the Adirondack Council.

"At a time when there is a great need to conserve resources and make thoughtful decisions that will have positive impacts for the future of the Adirondack Park, the Adirondack Council feels that yet another massive second-home development would be an inappropriate use of Adirondack lands," wrote the Council's Conservation Director John Davis.

Contact Mike Lynch at 891-2600 ext. 28 or mlynch@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.