Whatever happened to Alteren?
NORWICH – Mum’s the word where Stephen E. Stark, the one-time resort and event center developer, is concerned. Though he continues to pay taxes on about 500 acres in the Town of Norwich that he acquired between 2003-2006 for the planned Alteren resort, the Rochester-area businessman said he didn’t want to reveal his future plans for the land.
“I don’t want to say anything at this point,” he said Wednesday.
In fact, the final word from Stark came last June when he conceded that the threat of a proposed power line through his $62 million hillside dream would potentially devastate it. The Norwich High School graduate said at the time that his project was consuming 100 percent of his heart, but only 5 percent of his time.
“This power line issue has caused this whole thing to be put on pause. It could be years,” he said.
Nearly a year ago, New York Regional Interconnect announced its plans to thread 115-feet tall towers with high-voltage electrical wires through Chenango County, including the acreage on the east hill of the Chenango River valley where Stark planned to build luxury homes and villas, two golf courses, horseback riding stables and trails and a 200-room hotel. Officials from NYRI said during a recent visit to The Evening Sun that their power line had nothing to do with halting Stark’s Alteren plans.
“It wouldn’t have mattered. He had power lines running through his property already,” NYRI project manager Bill May said. NYRI’s highly controversial project would utilize existing power line and railroad right-of-ways through most of its journey from the Utica area south to Orange County.
When first proposing his resort to county leaders back in 2002, Stark said he hoped to be able to bury the existing New York State Energy & Gas lines cutting across his property. When told that NYRI officials didn’t think their project had jeopardized the viability of his project, Stark laughed, “Sure they didn’t.”
Chenango County Economic Development Director Maureen Carpenter said she belived that NYRI would hamper plans for tourism in the area because aesthetics play a large role in selecting a venue.
“There is no doubt that should a power line be located in someone’s back yard, it would decrease the potential resale value. This we all know,” she said.
“I don’t want to say anything at this point,” he said Wednesday.
In fact, the final word from Stark came last June when he conceded that the threat of a proposed power line through his $62 million hillside dream would potentially devastate it. The Norwich High School graduate said at the time that his project was consuming 100 percent of his heart, but only 5 percent of his time.
“This power line issue has caused this whole thing to be put on pause. It could be years,” he said.
Nearly a year ago, New York Regional Interconnect announced its plans to thread 115-feet tall towers with high-voltage electrical wires through Chenango County, including the acreage on the east hill of the Chenango River valley where Stark planned to build luxury homes and villas, two golf courses, horseback riding stables and trails and a 200-room hotel. Officials from NYRI said during a recent visit to The Evening Sun that their power line had nothing to do with halting Stark’s Alteren plans.
“It wouldn’t have mattered. He had power lines running through his property already,” NYRI project manager Bill May said. NYRI’s highly controversial project would utilize existing power line and railroad right-of-ways through most of its journey from the Utica area south to Orange County.
When first proposing his resort to county leaders back in 2002, Stark said he hoped to be able to bury the existing New York State Energy & Gas lines cutting across his property. When told that NYRI officials didn’t think their project had jeopardized the viability of his project, Stark laughed, “Sure they didn’t.”
Chenango County Economic Development Director Maureen Carpenter said she belived that NYRI would hamper plans for tourism in the area because aesthetics play a large role in selecting a venue.
“There is no doubt that should a power line be located in someone’s back yard, it would decrease the potential resale value. This we all know,” she said.
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