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Neighbors sue Blackthorne Resort, DOH, and town of Durham

Nov 10, 2021 1:33 pm

Andrea Macko reports at Porcupine Soup that six neighbors are suing the Blackthorne Resort, the Town of Durham, and the New York State Department of Health in an Article 78 lawsuit alleging that the Greene County resort was illegally allowed to add to its RV park. “The RV Park on the property has been developed by Blackthorne without proper permitting from the Town, DOH, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation,” the lawsuit states. Blackthorne constructed two bathhouses and a dump station for the estimated 400-site RV park. The lawsuit alleges the town of Durham failed to publish supporting documents about Blackthorne’s application for the bathhouses, and gave it approval with minimal environmental scrutiny. “Petitioners claims stem, in part, from a scheme between the Town and Blackthorn to bypass the New York State’s Environmental Quality Review Act and New York’s Open Meetings Law,” the lawsuit states. Greene County Legislator Patty Handel is a co-owner of the resort, but said she would not comment until the lawsuit is over. A court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 3 in Greene County Court with Hon. Adam Silverman, a judge for the New York State Court of Claims. Read more about this story at Porcupine Soup.