Staff Writer

The Otsego County Planning Board unanimously gave their approval for a new, 76-unit Holiday Inn Express to be built on Route 28 in Hartwick Seminary.

Earlier this month, the county board, in its advisory role, reviewed the project that had been forwarded to them by the Hartwick town planning board and voted to disapprove the project. Board members cited concerns about traffic safety.

Because only five members of the board were present at the earlier meeting, the measure did not receive the required votes for a majority and the decision was nullified. The board called the special session Tuesday night to revisit the hotel proposal.

County planning board member Tom Pritchard, the former chairman of the Hartwick planning board, was unable to attend the meeting, but furnished board members with a letter voicing his continuing concerns about traffic safety.

He suggested moving the proposed driveway of the Holiday Inn twenty to thirty feet to the south in order to minimize the "currently obstructed view to the south" or "provide an unobstructed view to the north." Pritchard also suggested putting in a turning lane for the southbound approach.

A representative of the DOT was scheduled to attend the first meeting, but backed out earlier in the day citing a scheduling conflict. DOT representatives did meet with members of the Hartwick planning board prior to its meeting October 10.

During the design phase of the motel project, engineers met with representatives of the DOT at the 10-acre site which is just north of the Hartwick Commons. According to Joe Durand of Plumley Engineering , the horizontal and vertical alignment of the road was examined and a spot for the driveway was selected which met the agency's criteria.

At Tuesday night's meeting, Martha Frey, spokesperson for the Glimmerglass Coalition, said that some of their concerns had been alleviated by the fact that traffic safety issues were being taken into account. With the removal of a willow tree from the nearby property of Mike Willsey, Frey said she felt that visibility would be greatly increased.

Board member Bill Place said that if the town of Hartwick didn't want more businesses to be established on Route 28, "it should be zoned for residences."

Board Chairman Chris Warrell said, "That's not up to us. It's up to Hartwick. And I'm sure they're thinking of that."

Warrell said several times during the meeting that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts," and that projects cannot be looked at in isolation.

Board member Charlie Bateman said that his reasoning behind his approval stemmed from the shortage of lodging in Cooperstown and the repute of the Holiday Inn.

"Route 28 is a total mess," Bateman said. "But we approved the Best Western and there's no reason not to approve this."

Robert Davis, representing the developers, said that the Holiday Inn will not create an increase of traffic along the corridor, as it is not in itself an attraction.

"We're here to service what is practically a national shrine," Davis said. "People aren't going to be traveling here for us. We'll be here to service them."

The project now goes back to the Hartwick planning board for a final vote. The planning board set a special meeting for Thursday, October 26, to address the matter.

Hotel developer Erfan Khan, of Rainbow Enterprises, said he was delighted with the board's approval of the project and hopes to break ground within the next two weeks.

The DOT had planned to add a third, turning lane to the state highway to alleviate congestion on the road and maintain the flow of traffic, but that plan has been pushed back until 2005 or later.