To Lake Placid-North Elba Review Board:

To the editor:

This note is written as public comment regarding the overdevelopment trend that has been rushed recently with restricted public access to town meetings (which would not seem prudent or respectful in this crisis time). In particular, the Placid Peaks housing project at the Cell Science site on Fawn Ridge is way out of scale for this community. Its massive amount of multiple structures is much too large for this rural community and neighborhood.

(Side note: Families need three-bedroom homes so are not able to effectively use two-bedroom or one-bedroom units that these developers propose.)

The news reporter for the Adirondack Daily Enterprise newspaper has done a pretty good job, under the circumstances, covering the fast reviewing of these three large housing projects. She did well pointing out that these project proposals do not meet the price range for workforce housing affordability for North Elba workers delineated by our Camoin Associates’ fall 2019 definitive study. It appears that developers are planning to mainly add plenty of selling stock to the Realtors’ market. Can we ask or plead for at least a few units in each of these developments to be lower priced at the level which Camoin experts explained is affordable? Businessmen and community leaders are claiming that they’re trying to help. So let’s see the actual residential stock get built that Camoin stated is seriously needed here now.

Oddly, the latest idea from ROOST marketers about city dwellers’ new tendency for relocating/moving to Lake Placid because they can “work from home” using computer internet does not provide workforce for our hotels, restaurants and shops for the village and town. The Camoin extensive study of fall 2019 defined our long-standing current crisis to prompt urgent awareness of Malone commuters and local resident workers who need quality affordable housing now. Let’s do first things first.

Please spread the word on this important concept and community need. This community needs the stakeholders and developers to grasp it and make it happen for the civic good, as well as for this resort town’s own survival (success).

Thank you for your time and consideration of this important concern.

Sincerely,

Sean Ayers

Lake Placid