In recent years, the Catskills have become a popular destination for weddings, with venues charging anywhere from $15,000 to $100,000 for events billed as “a world away” or having “rustic sophistication and welcoming warmth.”

Now, some Shandaken residents say the growth of wedding venues has brought unsafe traffic and disruptive noise to their neighborhoods.

A proposal in front of the town planning board to expand the use of The Leeway Motel into a wedding destination is the latest in what opponents describe as an ongoing battle for their neighborhoods.

“I’m 76, I never thought I would have to be protecting my sanctuary,” said Jeannie Maloney, whose property sits “25 feet away” from The Leeway. “But this sleepy little motel has turned into a monster.”

Maloney, who has lived in the area for 40 years, said she never had any problems with the venue in the past. The Leeway, which sits on six acres along the Esopus Creek on Route 28 in Mount Tremper, was previously known as Kate’s Lazy Meadow Motel and was co-owned by musician Kate Pierson of the B-52s until 2021. In the past, the venue had not hosted weddings or other large gatherings.

“It used to be that guests would go out during the day and come home and go to sleep,” Maloney said. “Now I am going to have all these big weddings in my backyard.”

In their proposal, Leeway owners Noah Nierenberg and Josh Reznick are seeking a special use permit for a temporary tent to host up to 13 weddings a year. Their plan is to limit the number of guests at each event to 75 and monitor noise levels to meet town code requirements and quell concerns from neighbors.

Area residents, however, say there is ample history with other venues to suggest that The Leeway’s promises won’t prevent disruption. 

Molly Holm, who lives near Foxfire Mountain House, said the town has not been responsive to her traffic and noise complaints since the venue began hosting weddings in 2016. Foxfire, renovated in 2013, sits on 10.5 acres at the end of Andrew Lane in Mount Tremper and hosts weddings for up to 140 guests.

“All we want is to sit on the porch and hear the crickets,” Holm said, quoting her late neighbor, Ted Denman. A longtime Shandaken resident and opponent of plans to turn The Leeway Motel into a wedding venue, Denman spoke those words during a Planning Board meeting earlier this year. Holm said the line captured the sense of loss many longtime residents feel as their neighborhoods change. “Foxfire House has expanded so much,” she added. “There are cars and delivery trucks all the way to midnight and 1 a.m. most days — and even worse on the weekends.”

Holm said the issue lies with the town’s zoning, which allows commercial properties in residential areas. When she moved to the neighborhood as a child with her mother in 1980, wedding venues were not a concern.

“Foxfire didn’t exist when we moved here,” Holm said, noting that her complaints have led to accusations of NIMBY-ism from other residents and business owners—a label she bristles at. 

“How could my single mother, in 1980, ever foresee these things being built?”

She added that the situation highlights a disconnect between the town’s pursuit of tax revenue from businesses and the less-affluent working-class residents.

“The people that come to weddings here are upscale people from out of town,” Holm said. “People say, ‘Oh, well live somewhere else.’ But not everyone can afford that. You can’t always choose where you live.”

“There is an imbalance here and it’s something that should be talked about.”

History Repeating Itself

Disputes in the Catskills over zoning laws that pit businesses against residents forcing both to coexist are nothing new. In the past year, battles over cell tower construction in Shandaken and Saugerties have been met with fierce opposition. 

In 2018, lawsuits between neighbors and Ashokan Dreams—a bed and breakfast in West Shokan that began hosting weddings—led to a state Appellate Division ruling allowing the venue to operate, but limiting it to four weddings a year with no more than 75 guests each.

Ashokan Dreams closed and was sold shortly after the decision in 2019.

That ruling has been central to the debate over The Leeway Motel. Charles Gottlieb, the attorney representing the motel, told the planning board on Sept. 24 that the court’s findings in favor of Ashokan Dreams set a precedent requiring the board to approve The Leeway’s request. 

“We have suggested 15 different conditions [that The Leeway would have to abide by],” Gottlieb said. “That is unheard of.”

But board member Vivian Welton countered that the Ashokan ruling shows the town can demand stricter limits.

“The court reduced the number for Ashokan Dreams from 12 events to 4,” Welton said. “We have to consider the integrity of the neighborhood.”

Planning Board Chair Cliff Rubuffo echoed Welton’s concerns but stressed that the board has an obligation to balance both sides.

“We need to consider community character, but these venues are part of the community, too,” Rubuffo said. 

Economic Stakes

Chris Sikora, director of operations for Foxfire Mountain House, said the venue had been “a proud, active, and responsible member of the Shandaken community for almost 10 years.”

“We live locally ourselves and currently employ 28 Ulster County residents,” Sikora said via email. “Being a good neighbor, and a committed part of the fiber of the local economy has always been central to our mission.”

Holm pushed back, saying residents feel like “second-class citizens” next to tourist venues that generate tax revenue.

“These businesses bring in tourist money,” she said. “But what is the worth of a homeowner?”

Supervisor Peter DiSclafani said he sympathized with residents’ concerns, but pointed to the conundrum that officials are facing on the issue. 

“Everybody is important, but without the commerce helping out with the taxes, residents would pay more,” DiSclafani said. “[Venues like Leeway] help keep other businesses alive. Without the businesses, we are kind of a ghost town.”

Fixing the Code and Fear of Lawsuits

For all the concerns about traffic and noise levels, both officials and residents agree on one thing: the town’s zoning code is outdated.  

“The town has long had a casual relationship with its zoning law,” said Maureen Millar, who sat on Shandaken’s planning board from 2008 to 2012. “I resigned because no one wanted to follow the law. But now there is so much investment in tourism in the area that people are rich enough to sue.”

Millar said most of Shandaken’s zoning code was written in 1974, with many commercial uses in residential areas “grandfathered in” through the years.

“I think the boards are so afraid of getting sued that they allow anything,” Millar said. “The town needs to rethink how it applies zoning laws.”

The zoning board of appeals recently declined to rule on The Leeway proposal, saying it lacked standing until the planning board acted. 

“We have to obey the law,” zoning board member Henry Williams said. “We are looking to protect this board and the town.”

Town officials are currently drafting a new comprehensive plan that they say, among other things, will address much of the ambiguity written into town code. Public hearings are expected in the spring. 

“Our codes are antiquated. They go back to the mid-70s when life was very different,” DiSclafani said. “The codes definitely need to be refreshed. Previous boards approved things without understanding how bad things could get.” 

The planning board is expected to vote on The Leeway proposal at its Oct. 8 meeting. Building and Zoning Inspector Donna LeMoine said Wednesday she was “looking into” traffic and noise complaints from Foxfire neighbors.

“If you’re a small town, the world is moving faster than you can change,” Deputy Supervisor Robert Drake said. “It’s something our new code has to define better.”

Jim Rich is a reporter for The Overlook. You can reach him at jim@theoverlooknews.com.