Senior Housing & Chipotle Is Coming: News From The Woodbury Planning Board

84-unit senior housing planned for Highland Mills off Rt. 32 and Ford Avenue

Yes. I know. There is a Chipotle in Woodbury Common.

However, if you’re a local, the odds are good that you avoid the Commons entirely. Especially on the weekend.

I can’t say I blame you.

I try to avoid that stretch of Route 32 whenever possible.

Especially after the redesign, which somehow took a relatively straightforward state road — plagued with traffic — and turned it into an M.C. Escher painting.

Tell me again why we couldn’t have just put a train station inside the commons?

Oh. Right. The Port Jervis line needs $227 million in upgrades to make it a viable alternative.

There’s a race going on in Orange County to see what project finishes first before I die:

The successful and final conversion of Route 17 to Interstate 86 or upgrading the Port Jervis line to the point where it’s a viable mass transit option.

Fun fact: I was at the Duck Cedar Inn when they announced the planned conversion of Route 17 to I-86. The guy who made that announcement? Orange County Legislator Spencer McLaughlin. He’s dead. Has been since 2007.

But now we’re getting off track. Let’s talk about the Woodbury Planning Board meeting.

1. At the February 7th, 2024 Woodbury Planning Board meeting, the Board approved a request for Chipotle to put up additional signage at The Shops at Woodbury.

The Shops, when completed is located at the intersection of Locey Lane and Route 32. The Chipotle is set to be in Building 3 (of 6) and the official address for the Shops is 6 Locey Lane. There’s also a Starbucks going in there, which I’m very excited about.

Nothing against our local Target, but their Starbucks is … not great.

There WERE documents to be found here that shows the Starbucks in what I assume is Building 1, but that link appears not to be working at the moment.

2. 50 Smith Clove Road, the site of a former laundromat, is looking to have the zoning changed to allow for apartments. It sounds like two apartments will be put there, but wasn’t entirely clear from this discussion if that’s the final number of not. (The audio for this video is not great, and minutes are not yet available.)

3. Finally, of note anyway, is the proposed 84-unit senior housing project. The proposed location is over on the east side of Route 32 near the intersection of Ford Avenue in Highland Mills. This is a long gestating project dating back to March of 2022. The board reviewed documents submitted by Highland Mills Center Group.

To be honest, I don’t know much about this project just yet. Generally speaking, I am fully supportive of affordable senior housing. There’s a crisis now with Senior Housing, and it’s only going to get worse unless we do something about it.

I’m a little curious about how and where they’re going to get their water since Woodbury’s got some serious issues when it comes to water. Much of the discussion this evening involved the impact of the wetlands with construction of the project.

The project took a “huge step” with the vote this evening, according to the attorney present for the Woodbury planning board. It sounds like the project is getting close to one final presentation before the planning board. This vote was a procedural step to help get everything ready for the next presentation. Maybe as soon as March.