NEVERSINK  — For over a year residents of the Town of Neversink and surrounding communities have discussed a proposal for a large resort development known as Kerilands.

As previously reported in the Democrat, the proposed project would occupy part of a 3,000-acre property owned by businessman and developer Jonathan Leitersdorf. 

At their regular meeting in August, Neversink Town Board members determined that the Kerilands project was not consistent with the town’s Master Plan. 

At their most recent meeting on October 12, town board members unanimously agreed not to alter the existing Master Plan to accommodate projects such as Kerilands. 

“We took very careful consideration over a long time of what was going on,” said Town Supervisor Chris Mathews. “We wanted to really give both sides a fair shot. The developer owns a piece of property. He certainly has rights to do things on his property. We believe in that totally. We also realized early on that his vision, which I think was incredible, did not fit within our Comprehensive [master] Plan.”

Mathews said it was a long process and, if anyone was going to make such an ambitious project successful, it was going to be Leitersdorf. 

“In the end, the real question was whether we were going to change our zoning, and we all decided not to for many, many reasons. Mostly we believe that keeping our zoning the way it is is the best way to protect our town.”

Mathews said he was really excited about the economic development component of the proposed project but the current zoning “has worked very well for us and we didn’t want to change that.” 

The Democrat reached out to Leitersdorf but did not receive a response by presstime. 

Kerilands was the subject of a well-attended gathering at the Claryville Fire Hall back in July. Developers and supporters of the project pointed to the potential economic benefits of constructing a high-end resort for both Neversink and Sullivan County as a whole. Opponents expressed reservations about potential environmental impacts and changes to the area’s rural character. 

“The Concerned Citizens of Neversink welcome the Neversink Town Board’s wise and thoughtful decision not to change the Town’s Master Plan to accommodate the Kerilands resort development proposal,” said resident David Brittenham. “The master plan has guided planning and development in the Town for over thirty years, and its basic policies continue to ring true today as the fundamental vision for the Town’s future.”

Earlier this month, Kerilands Inc. submitted an application to the Neversink Planning Board to subdivide a portion of the property into 45 lots.