Woodland Pond was back before the Village of New Paltz Planning Board last week, with a well-attended public hearing showing overwhelming support from a previously underrepresented group.
The nearly 16-year-old continued care retirement community is seeking permission for ten phased additions totaling 21,746-square-feet, much of the upgrades driven by conversations with the roughly 350 residents, who in the past have been described as “highly enthusiastic” by Kenneth Casamento, principal of LRC Engineering and Surveying, one of the firms engaged by Woodland Pond to work on the project.
Among the additions are additional informal dining options, which will require upgrades to onsite primary and auxiliary kitchens; an expanded fitness center, wellness lounge and enlarged salon, including a massage room and sauna; a larger exercise room with the capacity for an indoor pickleball court.
Plans are also underway for an arts and crafts room with a dedicated kiln and ceramics area; and a 6,318 square foot 200-seat multipurpose performing arts center with a raised stage.
Woodland Pond’s administrative offices are set for upgrades and expansion, as is its inpatient/outpatient physical and occupational therapy center, which is open to non-residents. While the latter might seem an afterthought for a residential community, that cohort turned up for the planning board’s Tuesday, January 21 public hearing.
“I am so much in favor of the whole thing,” said New Paltz resident Mary Ann Casamento, a Woodland Pond outpatient for around a year-and-a-half after having four knee surgeries. Like other speakers, Casamento said she’d tried different physical therapy centers in the area and none compared to Woodland Pond.
“They care about you, they’re knowledgeable, and they really do a one-on-one, which most places don’t do,” she said. “I really think they could use a bigger space to get more equipment in there, helping us even more.”
Bob DiGiacomo, a New Paltz resident since 1971 echoed Casamento’s praise. He’s visited
Woodland Pond to help recover from back issues.
According to their own website, Woodland Pond’s health center is so popular that they aren’t even giving tours of the facility to avoid getting anyone’s hopes up. Expansion isn’t just about meeting the needs of their current clientele, it’s about opening their doors to meet greater demand.
According to Rich Souto, leading the planning board meeting in chairman Zach Bialecki’s absence, Woodland Pond’s proposal has received favorable reviews from the Ulster County Planning Board and other agencies, and while it’s still too soon for final approvals, they could be bearing the finish line soon.
