Developer offers large resort on 350 acres near Whiteface Mountain
Townhouses, villas and mansions: Jay subdivision project will take precedence over APA
By Gwendolyn Craig
A Miami-based developer is proposing to build a luxury resort on more than 350 acres in the town of Jay along the Ausable River, outside the hamlet of Au Sable Forks. Representing one of the largest subdivision plans before the Adirondack Park agency, the development would include 72 hotel rooms, mansions, a villa and townhouses.
The Adirondack Park agency released plans for the project on Monday and invited comments until Dec. 3.
Details of an APA application show a complex with 20 townhouses, 60 villas, 18 larger real estate properties, six mansions and up to 72 hotel units. Many buildings offer views of the high peaks of the Adirondacks.
This is one of the biggest resort projects to go past the park agency, but not the biggest. A proposed 719 unit subdivision in Tupper Lake, the Adirondack Club and Resort, which the developers failed to create, received APA approval in 2012. The last large-scale subdivision that the APA approved earlier this spring was a 32-home development around Fulton County. Lake.
Eric Stackman is the owner and developer of the Jay property. He runs a construction consulting company called ECS 1 Inc. in South Florida. Stackman began buying property in the Adirondacks in 2006, according to real estate records.
In a phone interview on Monday, Stackman said he was waiting for the right time to come up with a project in the region. He originally looked at the white-peaked mountains of Colorado, but property was cheaper in the Adirondacks, he said. Over the past year, he has noticed that more and more people are buying real estate in Adirondack Park.
“Timing is everything, and it just seems like the timing is really ripe now,” Stackman said. “Everything is coming to fruition. “
Stackman said he has been building luxury skyscrapers and restaurants in South Florida for years. Now he is looking to expand his portfolio to the northeast, he said. His Jay property, less than a half-hour drive from Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, is in an area with opportunities for biking, hiking and skiing, he said. Stackman plans to create a one-stop shop with complex-style equipment.
“As far as convenience is concerned,” Stackman said, “there’s not a whole lot going on there, but that’s where I come in.”
Stackman’s application plans also mention a renewable energy farm, trails, club, and staff quarters. But he declined to reveal details or the cost of the project at this time. Stackman said he wanted to know how the public would react to his proposal. Some of them may change.
Stackman also wants his complex to blend into the natural environment. He pointed out the proposed designs and how the houses are not spread across the property, but are more clustered. And while he understands that some may think his proposal is important, Stackman pointed out that it is for more than 350 acres.
David Gibson, managing partner of Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve, said his initial reaction to the proposal is that it is “too brief” and does not address the conservation design.
“The idea of the conservation design is to focus development close to existing infrastructure,” Gibson said. “The current concept seems to extend it. One aspect of this is the amount of new road developments on offer. The new roads are particularly damaging. The conservation design, well done, minimizes the length of new roads.
The APA created its large-scale subdivision application, which is what Stackman submitted for public comment, to address the conservation design. Agency staff touted these applications as sufficient to address impacts on natural resources. However, environmental organizations like Gibson believe these apps fall short of expectations. Groups like Adirondack Wild, the Adirondack Council, Protect the Adirondacks and others are pushing for legislation that would strengthen the authority of the APA to require developers to use conservation design best practices. A bill stalled in the state legislature last year.
Comments on the plan can be submitted to Devan Korn, Adirondack Park Agency, PO Box 99, Ray Brook, NY 12977 or at https://apa.ny.gov/Hearings/ApaCommentPopup.cfm?ProjectNumber=2021-0248.