Representatives from Dover Greens visited the district offices of Sue Serino today to update the New York State Senator about the progress at the Dover Greens project site.
Some of the issues discussed during the meeting included an update on the master plan, working with the town planning board on the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process, a future Dover Tech Park and Senator Serino’s Lyme disease legislation which was of interest to Dover Greens officials because they are moving their families into an area that has one of the highest Lyme Disease rates in the country.
Dover Greens officials also thanked the 41st District Senator for her leadership in getting legislation included in the 2016 New York State budget bill that will now allow state psychiatric facilities in the lower Hudson Valley to be eligible for investment tax credits for the clean-up and redevelopment of these sites.
When the budget was passed back on April 1st the Senator stated that transforming abandoned state properties into workable businesses would have great potential to breathe new life into communities and reinvigorate local economies and that the funding will open the door to significant economic development that would be good for the taxpayer and great for the community.
At today’s meeting she echoed those sentiments and added she hoped that as the Dover Greens project grows it will help attract a major grocery chain to the area to better serve Town of Dover residents.
A distinct thing about Senator Serino’s budget success was that it came about directly from a meeting between Dover Greens, Senator Serino and other elected leaders that took place in December of 2015. At the meeting Dover Greens officials asked the senator if she would consider working to get tax credit language into the budget and she agreed to investigate that possibility.
“We see so much inaction at all levels of government,” said Marian Rebro. “Senator Serino not only exercised great leadership in getting her language into the budget and getting it signed into law but also revealed her effectiveness as a legislator and her commitment to the constituents that she serves.”
Dover Greens officials and Ms. Serino agreed to meet again in the coming months to discuss the project in more detail.
