Fallsburg resident Brett Budde, owner of Majestic Farm in Mountaindale, New York, says his well ran dry last summer, and he believes the ongoing development in the Town of Fallsburg is to blame.
With the town’s population tripling in the summer months, he says the strain on water and sewer systems is only getting worse.
Now, Fallsburg is considering zoning changes that would allow for greater housing density in agricultural areas.
The move comes after a legal notice warned that the town’s current zoning laws may not comply with federal protections for religious land use.
Budde appeared on Radio Chatskill to discuss what these changes could mean for his farm, the community, and the future of Fallsburg’s development.
Note: Majestic Farm is a financial supporter of Radio Catskill.
Image: Majestic Farm’s Brett Budde (left) with his wife Sara and their two children at their Mountaindale, NY farm. (Credit: Majestic Farm)
Year round residents need to stick together and fight against this overdevelopment and a Town Board that’s not fighting against it. Together, we should outnumber the voting block behind the zoning changes. Voting for board members that won’t capitulate is the only way we can survive.
There’s going to be a meeting held at the Hurleyville living art center on March 4 regarding these exact issues. It would be wonderful if Catskill radio would be able to broadcast this information to all of Sullivan County.
There is too much strain on water and sewer systems in neighboring areas. This is very toxic and dangerous. No water, fires? Where do you get water from to put fire out if need be? Enough already. It’s a safety issue.
There’s going to be a huge meeting for the Town of Fallsburg on March 4 at the Hurleyville living arts center, Regarding all of this. Pass the word to your friends and family. It would be wonderful if Catskill would be able to relay this message over the radio to all of Sullivan County.
Brett most of the land on the Glen Wilde side of Church Rd. along Old Glen Wilde and particularly under Deb-el egg has massive uranium deposits. Ya’ll have much bigger issues than sewage in Moutaindale water sources for private wells. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/6571281
The town already has a problem, following the law and issuing proper permits when they are needed, including fire, installations, driveways, road access etc. there has also been issues with prior developments and camps having detrimental effects to our area and waterways that we’re not addressed in a timely fashion by the developers. It was thrown to the waist side as if nobody cared, and the Town is quite aware of these issues as it was mentioned and stressed to developers at a zoning board meeting that I previously attended.
As everyone has already mentioned before, the law needs to be followed properly, regardless, of race, religion or the amount of children one desires to have. The multiplication of children/ family is not anyone’s problem, but that of their own . Laws should not be put in place to then, be manipulated, to accommodate growth.
I have a lot of friends in this area that have their own business. They grow and prosper and live very comfortably. These businesses have been established for centuries. I also know people that have businesses that are being surrounded by up and coming camps, developments and other structures, Some of these businesses cannot just up and move And are being suppressed by the overflow of the expanded building and congestion and it’s only getting worse. We need to keep up on this and not be silenced.
High Density Housing in an area that depends on wells and septic systems is NOT a good idea. Many of these developments are going to be filled with people who have lived their entire lives using municipal water and sewer systems. They do not understand that the aquifer is a limited resource and can easily be overtaxed. If the Town of Fallsburg is going to do this they NEED to require these developments to provide these services to their residents.