Answer: Most of the property is currently zoned R-1, although the property was specifically annexed in 1997 from the Town of Warwick into the Village of Warwick for commercial purposes. There is commercial activity on the property presently (Walsh's Restaurant), and there has been commercial activity on and about the Parcels for generations (the Pioneer dairy operation, with its restaurant and retail services). The property also borders upon a GC district in the Village of Warwick, and is proximate to several commercial enterprises included Miller's Monuments, Dawson Motors, and Parkin's Plumbing.

Why petition for rezoning?

Answer: More than two years of active conversations with Warwick officials, residents and merchants, and intensive study of the Village of Warwick's new Comprehensive Master Plan and other Warwick planning documents, led us to consider what is the best use of this important development site in the Village, and what is the best way to go about creating the necessary zoning. If you want to create the type of traditional mixed-use, hospitality neighborhood that blends with the history and character of the Village of Warwick, a development like the Red Swan Inn at Welling Farm Square, you really have to create a new type of zoning district. The Comprehensive Master Plan strongly encouraged that type of innovative zoning approach and the abandonment of outdated zoning laws. No one wanted to see us develop this property as suburban style single family housing lots or a strip mall, but that's precisely the types of development that the old bulk-table zoning code creates.

In the end, the goal of rezoning the property and the goals of the Comprehensive Master Plan are one and the same: To strengthen the Identity, Sense of Commitment, and History of the Village of Warwick, which are considered to be the three primary assets of the Village. This is all about building and growing Warwick's unique sense of place, and we believe that bringing back the Red Swan Inn and creating Welling Farm Square on this highly visible Village property site does just that.

Why now? Why an inn and hospitality district?

Answer: In looking at the type of neighborhood we wanted to create at the southern "gateway" of the Village of Warwick, we kept thinking that "gateways" should be places of "welcome". Then, we realized that the development of hospitality services is one of the most pressing needs to further Warwick's eco-tourism and agri-tourism agenda.

Indeed, each and every planning study and document in the greater Warwick Valley and Orange County over the past several years has emphasized the need for this type of "hospitality" development. The Village of Warwick's own Comprehensive Master Plan stressed that:

"Tourism is the most significant economic force that can be used to sustain business and at the same time sustain and improve the environmental quality and support the important agricultural base of the area. The rich history, architecture and scenic landscape are key to promoting tourism as an economic force." (page 26, citing the 2000 Countryside Exchange Report)

In researching this project, we've looked at market demand, and talked to downtown merchants about how tourism could help their businesses. Lodging, catering, conference and meeting spaces, welcome centers, food and beverage facilities, and similar types of essential hospitality services, all promote the Village's agri-tourism and eco-tourism agenda, attract new visitors, provide needed services for current residents, complement existing businesses, community resources and amenities, and generate new revenues for Village businesses. These hospitality services also create jobs for the community, and generate tax ratables without burdening the school system.

Does the rezoning conform with the Village of Warwick Comprehensive Master Plan? Does the project conform to the Comprehensive Plan?

Answer: Yes, absolutely. The #1 recommendation of the recently adopted Village of Warwick Comprehensive Master Plan was to "update the Village's land use and zoning codes in a manner consistent with this Comprehensive Plan" (Executive Summary, page 7; see also Recommended Action #1, page 35). This is the type of creative, innovative rezoning that the Comprehensive Plan called for.

The project itself also conforms to the Comprehensive Plan. The Petition for Rezoning demonstrates that the creation of a Floating Hospitality zoning district, and the changes to the Zoning Map to include the Welling Property within this new zoning district are entirely consistent with the recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan; accordingly, the Petition quotes liberally from that Comprehensive Plan.

Indeed, the project seeks to implement the recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan completely and wholeheartedly. It is our hope that this project will set the standard for all future building in the Village and would guarantee that Warwick remains true to its character for future generations.

How will the new Red Swan Inn be similar to the original Inn?

Answer: A place of hospitality and welcome at the southernmost gateway to the Village, with traditional Warwick design as the demarcation between town and country, is not only symbolically appropriate - it is historically accurate. Across the street from the property, on what is now part of the Warwick Valley Country Club, stood the landmark Red Swan Inn. Still considered to be one of the Village of Warwick's architectural inspirations, the Red Swan Inn was a symbol of Warwick's hospitality and small town grandeur.

Interestingly, the original Red Swan Inn was itself celebrated for bringing a distinct sense of arrival to the village from the countryside.

Maintaining the original name, location, character and charm, the resurrection of the Red Swan Inn, the original southern gateway of hospitality and welcome for the Village of Warwick, adapted and revitalized for the 21st century, is our goal and motivation for this project.

How will it affect traffic flow in and around the Village?

Answer: We are committed to employing the best traffic engineers to ensure that traffic will move smoothly and will not inconvenience the residents of Warwick. Access will be from two roads, Route 94 as well as Clinton Avenue extension.

I understand that there are Mistucky Indian ruins on the property. If so, what will you do to preserve them? If not, how do you know that they are not there?

Answer: All appropriate steps will be taken to ensure that any items of historical significance on the site will be documented and preserved. New York State Law requires that this be done and we will of course comply with all New York State historical preservation and environmental standards, and have already hired an archaeologist to comply with these laws and standards. To the best of our present knowledge, the Mistucky Indian settlements were not in fact on this site, but further back off this site, where a pond currently sits.

How do we know this won't be another Grand Union?

Answer: Demetroules R.E., LLC is committed to seek a rezoning of this property to allow for a project of the quality of the Red Swan Inn and the Welling Farm Square. The family is very proud of the project and its potential benefit to the community. Nowhere in the Site Development Concept Plan or the Zoning Amendment creating a Floating Hospitality District is there a place for a Grand Union.

If you are interested in the property's history, and its proposed use as a Grand Union some years back, it is important to note that Demetroules R.E., LLC was not the owner of the property at that time and did not make that proposal. At that time, the land was owned and operated by Orange County Trust Company, as executor and trustee of the Last Will and Testament of Thomas Welling. It was Orange County Trust Company that had sought to develop the Parcels as a strip mall with a Grand Union Supermarket as the anchor store. Indeed, the family reclaimed the land from the Trust, largely because of a very public dispute between members of the family and Orange County Trust regarding the proposed development of the land. Lawyers were successful in revoking the Trust, and the property was transferred from the Trust to the family, by Deed dated March 2, 2000.

The family regained control of the property to ensure that the right project, of the highest quality in scope and scale, would be built on their family's land. They could have subsequently sold the property at a substantial profit, and the existing zoning would have allowed a large scale sub-division to be built.

Instead, Demetroules R.E., LLC has held onto the property, paid taxes and incurred considerable expense hiring attorneys, engineers, architects, planners and consultants because they are determined to develop the right project for the community, and preserve their family's legacy and good name in Warwick.

That's why the Welling/Demetroules family is so dedicated to making their Vision for the Red Swan Inn at Welling Farm Square a reality for the Village of Warwick and its residents. There is more at stake here than just money and land.

What if this project does not get approved? The Village rejects this idea of an Inn and extended Village?

Answer: The alternative would probably be the development of large suburban-style single family homes, which we strongly believe is not what the Village would desire as the future gateway - the place of arrival - to the Village. Frankly, we feel this would be a huge mistake for the Village of Warwick and the greater Warwick community.

While some might want the land to remain an open field, that is not an option. It is time for the land to be developed, and the only question is the best plan for development.

As direct descendants of the first Thomas Welling, the family is deeply committed to developing a quality project that their family and the Warwick community will be proud of for generations to come.

By increasing the visibility of Warwick as a tourism destination for those who seek the values and charms of a prosperous small town and its scenic countryside, even existing hospitality businesses (like existing lodgings) would benefit as the market grows larger and demand for tourist services increases.

Saturday March 13, 2010