BETHEL, N.Y.  — The Town of Bethel held a public hearing on two local laws that would regulate development at their regularly scheduled Town Board meeting on Wednesday, October 28. 

The laws would aim to regulate wasterwater package treatment plants and institute zoning requirements for new developments. The laws take inspiration from Bethel’s updated Comprehensive Plan, adopted earlier this year. 

Local Law Two would regulate package plants by requiring additional review for proposed plants, increase oversight of these facilities by establishing special Wastewater Management Districts and protect local taxpayers from paying for these developments. Local Law Three would strengthen Bethel’s zoning laws and regulate developments by requiring that every new development contains at least 50 percent of the development area as open space, require more review during the planning process, and put provisions in place to encourage public open space like trails and walkways.

Town supervisor Daniel Sturm said that these local laws originate from the plan’s principles of protecting waterways and the rural character of Bethel.

“We can work toward accommodating development allowed under our zoning while preserving more of the land and character that makes Bethel special,” Sturm said at the meeting. “Our comprehensive plan recognizes the importance of protecting our rural character, preserving open space [and] agricultural lands, safeguarding our lakes, streams and groundwater, and making sure that future development is consistent with the community that we want Bethel to be. This law is designed to help us accomplish those goals.”

In an interview with the River Reporter, Sturm said Bethel would be breaking new ground, and that the laws would benefit the town.

“We could be one of the first in the Hudson Valley region to do a meaningful law to regulate package plants,” Sturm said. “We’re ahead of the game, and we should be able to review all the comments and come to a good conclusion and get these passed, which I think will be good for the town moving forward.”

Several members of the local nonprofit group the Bethel Roundtable spoke in opposition to both local laws. Members raised concerns that the laws don’t go far enough in terms of protecting the town’s environment and deviate from the town’s comprehensive plan in some major ways. Denise Frangipane, speaking on behalf of the roundtable, spoke on the differences between the plan and the laws, and said the roundtable would support measures that addressed their concerns.

“The town must resolve the proposed laws’ departures from the comprehensive plan before adopting provisions that could allow more intense development. We’re asking the town to ensure that the proposed laws deliver the conservation outcomes that are promised in the comprehensive plan,” Frangipane said. “[Proposed] laws two and three incorporate some of the 2026 comprehensive plan goals, but they also make substantive policy choices that depart from or leave unresolved important plan recommendations. They should be evaluated against the plan before being adopted, and not presumed to to be implemented simply because they contain conservation and wastewater provisions.”

“The Bethel Roundtable supports moving forward with effective conservation standards,” Frangipane said. “Addressing these matters before adoption will ensure that the final law should protect drinking water, preserve rural character, direct growth appropriately, and ensure development decisions are transparent and supported by evidence. It should provide clear rules, enforceable resource protection, and development consistent with Bethel’s rural character and environmental capacity.”

Smallwood resident Bill Moss also spoke up on behalf of the Roundtable, and said that the town should more closely follow the comprehensive plan and the policies it suggests.

“The town should resolve these uncertainties surrounding development yield, open space requirements, groundwater protection and long-term wastewater responsibility. It should also explain why departures from the plan were warranted, and how the resulting risks will be addressed,” Moss said. “A comprehensive plan should be the standard for which these laws are measured, and not simply a document cited in their support”

In closing the hearing, Sturm said that all public comments will be considered and reviewed before a decision is made, but ultimately the decision rests on the town board.

“Our goal is to listen carefully, make changes when warranted, and then proceed with a decision that is in the best interest of the town and its residents,” Sturm said. “Public input is an essential part of good government, but the board ultimately has a responsibility to weigh that input and make the final decision. We are here to listen. We will learn, and we will do our best.”