To the editor:

As a concerned student at Skidmore College studying Environmental Studies, and a community member of a town in western New York facing similar issues, I was disappointed to see the lack of recent articles in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise regarding the issue of gentrification. Gentrification is an issue that is becoming more and more present all around the state. The Adirondack Almanac highlighted this issue in an article published in 2021 and described it as “the loss that triggers all other losses” (Darling, 2021). This issue is detrimental to the long-term vitality of communities in areas such as the Adirondacks that are becoming more and more popular as vacation destinations and part-time residences.

Jay, New York is a small town in the Adirondacks along the AuSable River, just a half hour from Lake Placid, that has gentrification looming over it. Recently, a Miami based developer proposed a 355-acre resort that would include residential homes, hotel facilities, mansions, a clubhouse, a fire tower, an event center, a spa and wellness center, and more. From the developer’s perspective, this proposal makes a lot of logistical sense. There is very little development in the area, which means the resort would have very little competition for guests, and being just a half hour outside of Lake Placid puts the resort in an ideal location.

However, for the rest of the residents of Jay, the resort would bring a lot of attention to an area that, in terms of development, has been very quiet. The completion of this resort would most likely bring other developers to the area who would continue to buy and develop land for large scale resorts until the middle working class is squeezed out of the area, like they have been in many other towns around the Adirondack region.

Additionally, this resort has several environmental implications as well. The completion of the resort would require the clearance of 4.4 acres of land, and an estimated thousands of trees would need to be cut down.

While this proposal has already received some adverse criticism, it is imperative that we make efforts to reduce gentrification in highly vulnerable areas such as the Adirondacks.

Sincerely,

Elle Harrison

Skidmore College student

Keuka Park