Potential Green Development for the Town of Solon

Earlier this evening I attended a Town of Solon Information meeting held at the Solon Sportsman’s Club. The topic of discussion was the proposed Hathaway Condo and Spa Resort. Brig Brown, a successful hotel developer originally from Germany, has proposed developing 150 acres surrounding “Tinelli’s Hathaway House” on Rt. 41 in the Town of Solon. At the meeting this evening, Ms. Brown showed a short video about her proposed project and answered questions from local residents.

You can go to the project website (http://hathawaycondoandspa.com/) to get specifics for yourself. Some of the aspects of the proposal include: construction of 304 condominiums in a gated community, a hotel, a conference center, a German-style barbeque restaurant and micro-brewery to be housed in a renovated Hathaway Barn, a German bakery and café, a jellorium (to sell jams, jellies, and syrups), a pool, recreation hall, and a full service spa including the what would be the nation’s only Himalyan Salt Floating Pool. Also according to the plans, Tinelli’s would become a full-service restaurant, still owned and run by the Tinelli family.

Some of the green aspects of the project include the use of renewable energy for the electrical and heating needs of the facilities. The condos are planned to incorporate passive solar design with green roofs, and tile wood stoves. The restaurants, jellorium, and bakery will be using locally grown organic foods. The plans for the grounds include walking paths, gardens, and edible landscaping.

When asked about how the project was going to interface with the local community, Ms. Brown indicated that all of the services including the restaurants, shops, walking trails, and spa, recreation hall would be open to the public. In addition, Ms. Brown’s vision is to provide a community gathering spot where local musicians can play, local artisans can sell their creations, and locally and sustainably grown products would be available to all community members not just the resort members. The project also proposes to have about 130 job opportunities when complete with first consideration going to qualified local individuals. She invited Solon residents to email her with any additional questions and suggestions for the project. Her contact information is available on the project website.

Members of the Town Planning Board indicated that additional information meetings would be held. One of the meetings will include the county tax assessor to discuss the questions about whether the project would raise taxes for community members (it does not appear to do that as it is proposed), and another would be with the county planner to address issues about the process.

As for a timeline, Ms. Brown is hoping to start as soon as all the approvals are set and complete the construction of all the components within 24 months.

Most of the individuals sitting around me seemed in favor of the proposal and said the benefits of the proposed project far out-weighed any negatives. And personally I agree with them. Some of the potential benefits I see with the project include: increased demand for local organic foods, “green” jobs and perhaps creating demand for green technology businesses to establish in Cortland County, increased opportunities for public transportation to this part of the county, and an opportunity for increased community connection. There is also the potential for growth of businesses in downtown McGraw and also in the City of Cortland to provide services to the visitors and new residents of the project.