After more than 3 years of hearings and town board meetings, the town of Accord finally got a resolution to move forward on the county's application for the Granary Project, using a state grant from the Restore New York initiative, which tries to encourage community development and neighborhood growth by funding redevelopment.

The grant hasn’t yet been won, but is meant to offset some of the rising cost of the Granary project, which would redevelop the buildings of the old Anderson Feed Mill at 2, 4 and 8 Towpath Road in Accord.

The Granary project is linked to the Accord Market, a grocery store on Accord’s Main Street that was opened in 2021 during the pandemic by Oberon Group CEO Henry Rich. Rich is one of the Granary applicants, along with actress Vera Farmiga (you’ve probably seen her in the Conjuring movies) and her husband Renn Hawkey, formerly of the metal band Deadsy.

After years of back and forth, the final verdict from the town board came as something of an anticlimax, as the board quickly voted in front of only five spectators who braved the cold weather. There had been a meeting to vote earlier in the month, but it was put off since two of the five board members were absent. When they finally were able to assemble, the board voted in favor, 3-2. The no votes were cast by Councilwoman Renee Ciardi and Councilwoman Charlotte Smiseth.

This is not the last hurdle the project will have to clear. It still has to be approved by the planning board and, ideally, financed by this or another grant.

Joshua Stratton, the deputy director for Ulster County's Department of Economic Development also was present via Zoom to appeal to the board as well. He explained that the county will be the one applying for the grant, not the developers, meaning they would have financial control.

The idea, from the point of the state, is that “upon completion, the projects funded will attract individuals, families and industry and commercial enterprises to the municipality,” thus raising the tax base and “lessening its dependence on state aid.”

Stratton said that the cost for the project had ballooned by about three million dollars through the land use approval process. Then COVID happened, and the resultant inflation and construction cost increase.

“We're hopeful that this one-million-dollar offset will help bring back the project to a little bit more manageable point for the developers,” Stratton said.

“We're applying tomorrow,” Rich said. “So, we either get it or we don't get it.”

The final project would see a number of amenities brought to the hamlet. Ideas mentioned have included a hotel, restaurant, community center, beer garden, and bike shop. The reception has been mixed, with some believing it will revitalize the community, and others believing it will erode the rural character.

Ciardi and Smiseth said they do not believe public funding should be used for private entities. Also, Smiseth stated that one of the stipulations of the grant is that it has to follow the town’s zoning code, and she doesn’t feel that, at this point, it complies.

One issue that came up in a previous meeting with the public was the noise that could come from the venue would affect the residents who live nearby. But the applicants say they have dealt with that issue. Another issue remaining is increased traffic, which poses the question if the speed limit on Main Street will need to be changed.

“By now approving this grant application to move forward,” Hawkey made a point of observing, “it doesn't change the fact that we still adhere to the planning board's site approval.”

Hawkey said that the characteristics of the property, which has shallow bedrock and no municipal water hookup, have driven up the site costs.

Many of the hamlets in the area do not have water and sewer infrastructure, so it makes “upgrades” or expansion projects like these difficult. According to Rich, that’s why these places have “fallen behind.”

“It can seem daunting to move forward with all these complications, but with grant projects like Restore New York, there is hope that changes can be made,” Rich added. “So, it's really exciting for us. “