Earlier this summer, the Rhinebeck Town Board proposed a nine-month moratorium on hospitality-related development, including hotels, restaurants, and bars.
The proposal arrived as a series of high-profile projects are looking to build in and around Rhinebeck.
The exclusive Soho House franchise, a self-described "club for creatives" where members pay thousands of dollars a year for access, is planning a 250-acre farmhouse-themed retreat center.
Six Senses, a luxury international resort, wants to spend $200 million to expand its existing footprint. And the Linwood Spiritual Center, a riverfront religious retreat, is considering rival bids from developers who want to build boutique hotels.
The town board says they want to pause projects like this to give themselves time to study the impact they're having on the environment and community life. Their nine-month moratorium proposal contains a provision that would allow the board to extend the moratorium twice - meaning hospitality development could be halted for up to 27 months.
But now, debate over the proposal is ramping up. At a recent meeting, town supervisor Debbie Hecht acknowledged the proposal is controversial.
"Above all, I ask you please to be respectful here tonight," said Hecht as the meeting got underway. "Obviously, there's going to be a lot of strong feelings about this, and that's okay. In fact, not being in agreement is a sign of a healthy community."
The town board, she added, would not be speaking at this meeting. They were there to listen to the community. A mic was positioned at the front of the room, and as a steady stream of residents took turns addressing the board, it was clear that many are skeptical of the moratorium.
Amanda Miller, a realtor who challenged Supervisor Hecht in the Democratic primary earlier this year, expressed concern that small businesses like delis, pubs, and restaurants - technically hospitality projects - would suffer unnecessarily from a measure seemingly designed to target much more expansive development.
"The proposed moratorium is sweeping in breadth," said Miller. "As applied to delis, restaurants, bars, and pubs, [it's] akin to taking a sledgehammer to a housefly."
Josh Sager, who lives in Rhinebeck, and is one of the developers vying to build on the Linwood Retreat property, made a similar point.
The Linwood project, he pointed out, is named in the text of the moratorium alongside Soho House and Six Senses. But he thinks there's an important difference between those projects and his proposal.
"This is not a case of an international development company preying on local land," said Sager. "But there has been total misrepresentation of our project in local media outlets, calling this project 'for the one percenters.' That could not be further from the truth."
Sager said he's lived in Rhinebeck since 2021, and named his daughter Violet after the town's famous flower. He pointed to his proposal's plan for acres of public parks, hiking trails, and community programming. "I want to see the site developed responsibly, inclusively, not exclusively, developed by Rhinebeck, for Rhinebeck."
Serine Hastings is the co-owner of Paper Trail, a Rhinebeck shop that bills itself as "a delightful emporium of fine paper, fanciful jewelry, and stylish gifts." She began her comments by expressing gratitude to the many locals that shop at Paper Trail. But then she offered what she called "a reality check."
"As much as we love you all and are so appreciative of your support, we can't do this without tourism," said Hastings. "That's the reality. I'm sorry to tell you if you are anti-tourism, but that is the truth. There just aren't enough of you."
Though many in town are against the moratorium, some see it as an urgent need. Michelle Linner invoked the Joni Mitchell song "Big Yellow Taxi" in her support of the moratorium. "Put up a parking lot with a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hotspot," she said, quoting Mitchell's lyrics. "And don't it always seem to go, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot."
Gina Fox, a 40-year resident, sang a similar tune.
"I am tired of development that's driven by corporate greed and big business," said Fox. "Most residents do not want our town to be a playground for the rich."
Regardless of differing opinions on the moratorium, there was broad agreement that things are changing in Rhinebeck. And there was a palpable stir in the room when a man named Roger Kwan stepped to the mic.
"Some of us who've been here a while feel the town slipping," said Kwan. "The warmth is thinning. Friends and family are moving away or passing on. And I feel that we're reaching using this word 'over-tourism,' and I think it's misplaced. Is that really the wound? Or is there something deeper? That an ordinary family can't afford to plant roots here anymore? Or that our own kids can't come home to Rhinebeck without generational wealth? And those are good questions to to ask, and talk about. But I think this moratorium - and I'll say it plainly - is the wrong vehicle."
