Letter from Chip Northrup

Moratorium Is Warranted

When a town embarks on revising its land-use plan, or when it is confronted with something that might necessitate a revision of its plan, it is standard operating procedure to adopt a moratorium on new development until such time as it can update the plan.

The guidelines and process for adopting a moratorium are clear. The Town of Otsego has initiated a revision to its land-use plan and it has signed on to help update the Otsego Lake Watershed Plan. The town has recently received a draft proposal for the development of 1,500 acres of residential subdivisions within the Otsego Lake watershed. Any one of these factors alone would justify a moratorium on new platting and permitting. Cumulatively, they effectively require that a moratorium be put in place.

The Town of Springfield is also involved in the development of the revised watershed plan for the lake. Several of the proposed subdivisions fall within its boundaries. The Manocherian property is environmentally vulnerable in that it contains more than 40 wetlands and over 30 streams, most of which are in the Town of Springfield. Like Otsego, Springfield should adopt a moratorium on new development until the revised watershed plan is adopted and enforced.

The moratorium could be limited to land that is within the Otsego Lake watershed. Exceptions could include property that is served by municipal water and sewer and property that has already been platted and permitted for development. Neither town can afford to wait. If the nutrient loading on the lake increases beyond the tipping point, much of Glimmerglass could turn into “Pea Soup,” which is a terrible name for an opera company or a state park.

Chip Northrup
Cooperstown