HYDE PARK – When it is complete, the Bellefield at Historic Hyde Park will span a mile along Route 9, developers say.
Two boutique hotels, more than 550 residences and a culinary marketplace are all planned.
The $500 million project would cover 344 acres, from W. Dorsey Lane to St. Andrew Road, across from the Culinary Institute of America.
The goal, developers say, is to create a space that attracts tourists and residents with the culinary and agricultural appeal of the mid-Hudson Valley.
“We want the region to be the Napa Valley of New York, and we hope this will be the epicenter,” said Thomas Mulroy, chief executive officer of T-Rex Capital Group and part of Bellefield Development Partners.
The first step to executing that vision is underway. Developers broke ground on the project Friday. The first phase, which will encompass building a 133-room boutique hotel and creating infrastructure for future development, is expected to be complete in late 2019 or early 2020.
“You can’t see everything the Hudson Valley has to offer in a day,” Mulroy said. “We want people to visit for a couple days or even weeks and do day trips to the different destinations in the Hudson Valley.”
The first phase is expected to generate more than $118 million in tax revenue for the state, county and town over the next 10 years, developers say. The economic impact is projected to be $634 million in that time frame. The project is expected to create 550 construction jobs and 369 full-time jobs.
Town Supervisor Aileen Rohr said the project would be a boon for the town and regional tourism.
“With so many premier tourism destinations located in Hyde Park, the addition of attractive, well-located lodging will allow visitors to stay where they play,” Rohr said. “We look forward to the advancement of the local food movement as part of our local economy by the opening of the Inn and are eager to continue to see this potential developed through future investment.”
Yet some residents expressed concerns.
“This is all well and good, but what about the traffic on (Route) 9 now,” said Adela Nowik-Ronsani, of Hyde Park. “It’s a nightmare in the a.m. and p.m.”
Phase one
The Inn at Bellefield, a soft-branded Marriott Residence Inn, will take visual cues from The Culinary Institute of America’s Roth Hall and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
“Since it’s a soft-branding, we have a lot more flexibility in terms of the look of the building,” Mulroy said. “We’re going with the red brick and Roosevelt stone to reflect the other local destinations.”
With the aformentioned tourist destinations alongside sites such as the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park and the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, developers hope the Bellefield serves as the starting point for tourists and “build on this cluster
“The goal is to bring more people in and build on this cluster of activity,” Mulroy said.
Mary Kay Vrba, president and chief executive officer of Dutchess Tourism, said the addition of a hotel would help schools hosting large events and conferences, including Marist College and The Culinary Institute of America.
“It’s a really welcome project,” Vrba said. “We’re excited to have a hotel up there, and I think it’s the perfect spot. We hope that we can keep the people travelling to the area for conferences and other events here with larger accommodations.”
Once infrastructure at the site is completed in December, Mulroy said the hotel’s construction would be completed in about one year.
Infrastructure issues
Earlier plans for the development called for putting Bellefield on a town sewer district and required developers to build a three-mile sewer line going north of the development.
Hyde Park’s commercial district does not have a sewer system, and each business or plaza operates its own septic system, per the Hyde Park Downtown Initiative website.
However, Mulroy said the commitment would stall development.
“This was the most difficult aspect of the project,” he said. “You can’t just develop on 2 million square-feet without a sewer.”
The development partners negotiated with the town to allow Bellefield to operate on its own sewer system.
Bellefield contributed $1.25 million toward the creation of a sewer system for the town.
Future additions
Following the completion of the first hotel, developers will wait about a year before starting construction on a second hotel. Beyond this, the specifics on each phase blur.
“We have no end date I can tell you, because this is all market-driven,” Mulroy said. “It depends on where the market goes, but each phase should make the next shorter.”
The project calls for 559 residences, with a mix of living options ranging from brownstones and cottages to artist lofts and private estates
“We’re hoping to see a mix of Manhattanites and Brooklynites looking for a weekend home as well as local homeowners looking for a change,” Mulroy said.
Mulroy could not answer definitively on the possibility of affordable or student housing, but said they were considering it.
Culinary appeal
Retail development calls for highlighting culinary businesses, with the inclusion of a culinary marketplace and culinary research and development center. Breweries, distilleries and coffeehouses are among a few examples of the types of businesses developers hope to attract.
“The region is the breadbasket of the tri-state area, and with it being right across from The Culinary Institute of America, it almost made too much sense,” Mulroy said.
Mulroy hopes the students at the culinary school will mean an active workforce readily available for these culinary-focused businesses.
“Between internship and job opportunities and our culinary businesses, we hope to have a strong relationship with The Culinary Institute of America,” Mulroy said.
A spokesperson with the Culinary Institute declined to comment on the project, noting that the development is not affiliated with the school.
Mulroy said the development is focused on eco-friendly practices. About 58 percent of the property will remain undeveloped and 48 acres will be devoted to agriculture.
Trees knocked down as part of the development will be used for lumber in construction. In addition to greenspace, the development will feature bike trails connecting with other local rail trails.
“We’re making sure to keep this as eco-friendly as possible,” Mulroy said. “We have a commitment to preserving wooded land on the site.”
