Plans for Mountain View Estates are progressing

COXSACKIE―The proposed 360-unit manufactured home community known as Mountain View Estates has been in the works by developers for more than 20 years. And while shovels aren’t expected to be in the ground anytime soon, plans are progressing.

Now in front of the village planning board, the project encompasses approximately 185 acres on multiple parcels that were once farmland off of Van Dyck Street.

Each manufactured home is to be on its own lot with a driveway and garage. Proposed amenities include a 6,000-square-foot clubhouse, two basketball courts, three playgrounds, exercise facilities, a pool, pavilion, and multi-use trails for people and horses. A portion of the existing barn adjacent to Van Dyck Street will be converted to a welcome center and three paddocks will be constructed to be used in conjunction with the remaining section of the barn, as per the plans. Approximately 85 acres would be designated as a habitat reserve area.

“The planned manufactured homes are intended to provide a wide range of styles, featuring various arrangements of bedrooms, living areas, garages, and porches,” according to Jason Cook, a site civil engineer with Colliers Engineering & Design, that submitted plans on behalf of developer UMH Properties.

The homes would be served by Village water and sewer.

“The project also delivers important off-site improvements. Notably, the water line within Van Dyck Street and the Riverside Avenue Pump Station will both be upgraded, resulting in enhanced service and reliability for current residents who depend on these facilities,” Cook stated in a recent letter to the Village Board.

“These infrastructure improvements demonstrate the project's commitment to benefiting not only future residents of the development but also the broader Village community. Off-site improvements also include development of a sidewalk along Van Dyck Street and Lafayette Avenue connecting the development to Mansion Street, the downtown businesses, and Riverside Park by sidewalk,” Cook added.

The development would be accessible via three access points: two along Van Dyck Street and one along River Road.

Based in Freehold, NJ, UMH filed a federal lawsuit against the Village under the Fair Housing Act  in 2018, alleging that “soon after UMH purchased the property in 2005, residents of the Village of Coxsackie mounted a full-scale campaign in opposition to the development.” Then-Village officials, the lawsuit claimed, bowed to “discriminatory opposition” and prevented the project through a variety of actions, including a moratorium on new developments.

According to the lawsuit, “the [public] statements and comments against the project were framed with coded language based on stereotypes about residents of manufactured home parks.”

The Village refuted UMH’s allegations of discrimination and during previous public hearings, residents who spoke out against the development expressed concern that the character of the village would change and questioned whether infrastructure could handle such a large increase in the population. The village is currently home to around 2,600 people.

In 2022, UMH and the Village reached a settlement agreement that allowed another project application to be filed and required that the Village pay $275,000 in damages, attorney’s fees, and costs.

UMH’s original plans, dating back to 2009, were to designate the housing community for those 55 and older. That has changed.

“The proposed development is not age-restricted, yet it offers high-quality living options for senior residents through features such as walkability, single-floor home designs, and proximity to the village center, making it especially suitable for older adults seeking convenience and accessibility,” noted Cook, adding that the development will also expand affordable housing opportunities in the area.

In a related, but separate, process is the annexation of approximately 100 acres from the town to allow the entirety of Mountain View Estates to be within the village. The town board approved a resolution in favor of the annexation in April and the village board has a public hearing slated for September 21 on a local law which also includes amending the zoning map to include the new village property as medium density residential.

Under state law, the Town had no option but to approve the annexation, Town Supervisor Rick Hanse said. It is vacant land that UMH solely owns and petitioned for it to be transferred to the Village.

“The town board therefore offered no opposition to the plan,” Hanse said. “The Town will continue to levy a tax on the land which will be greater when it is developed than it currently is taxed.”

Cook told the planning board in June that while they are still finalizing the timeline, as of now they are looking at four project phases; the first of which would be for 80 homes near the Van Dyck Street entrance.

UMH Properties currently owns and operates 145 manufactured home communities with approximately 27,100 developed homesites in New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia.

“They are just starting the site plan process with the planning board,” said Mayor Mark Evans. “If I had to guess that will likely take a year and then time to ramp up to start construction.”

Evans does not expect work to begin on the development until around the second half of 2028.