DEC Fully Adopted and Approved Following the Public Comment Process
The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (Olympic Authority) announces the issuance and completion of the 2023 Amendment to the 2015 Belleayre Mountain Unit Management Plan (UMPA) for projects at Belleayre Mountain Ski Center in Highmount, N.Y.
The UMPA is the result of a process that began in January 2022 with the Full Environmental Assessment Form that is part of the State Environmental Quality Review process. In July 2022, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) approved the Public Draft for publication in the Environmental Notice Bulletin for public comment. The Olympic Authority made the document available in a number of locations both digitally and in hard copy and sent out a press release encouraging public comment.
The Olympic Authority worked with DEC to respond to 63 comments that were received during the 6-week public comment period and the Public Draft was revised as a result. The UMPA went through each of the appropriate environmental review processes, including State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) Full Environmental Assessment; Article XIV Compliance; Wetland Delineations; Soils Analysis & Erosion Potential; SHPO Documentation; USFWS; and Visual Impact Assessment and Analysis.
The Olympic Authority completed a revised Environmental Assessment Form resulting in a negative declaration under SEQR, and the Final Proposed UMPA was resubmitted to DEC on March 9, 2023, for final approval as the “Final Proposed UMPA.” Revisions and updates that occurred as a result of the public comment period are described in the Errata, Exhibit 11 of the UMPA. The UMPA was signed by DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos and fully adopted and approved on April 28, 2023.
The final UMPA can be viewed on the Olympic Authority’s website here and Belleayre’s website here. A full description of the process, along with the public comments and responses, can be found in the final UMPA.