AVA —  The Town of Ava Planning Board voted against allowing construction of a proposed campsite and retreat center by Restore Forward, LLC, an affiliate of the Black Women’s Blueprint, on a 293-acre parcel on Webster Mill Road.

The site — about five miles east of Route 26 and about 10 miles south of Boonville — was used by the Rome Air Development Center, now known as the Rome Air Force Research Laboratory, for electronic research testing beginning around 1957. Referred to as the Ava Test Annex by the Air Force, among its functions were the testing and development of long-distance radio transmitters and over-the-horizon missile detection systems. The Air Force stopped using the site in the late 1990s.

The town purchased it from the federal Government Services Administration about 20 years ago for approximately $20,000. The site has been dormant since then except for some use for storage by the highway department until it was sold recently to the Black Women’s Blueprint.

After concluding that the project does not comply with New York State Consolidated Laws, Town Law 280-a, (“Permits for buildings not on improved mapped streets”), the board decided that it would not recommend the Ava Town Board grant an open development permit to Restore Forward, LLC.

At the start of the meeting, board members reviewed the number of structures currently on the property, the number of proposed structures in the site plan, and if the proposed project conflicted with permitted uses of the property under the 280-a section of the law. Under 280-a, permitted uses of the property are limited to primitive camping. However, there is a provision in the statute that allows the town to have an open development district, hence BWB’s application for a permit.

At the moment, the board was told, there are no structures on the property except for an old utility building. According to the site plan submitted by BWB, the retreat center would require dozens of new structures and activity areas, including a barn, four greenhouses, 30 RV lots, 15 “glamping” spots, 20 cabins, a sanctuary, a dining hall, a gate house, a housekeeping building, a tent area, as well as a center complex that includes restrooms, a main office, an outdoor patio, a kitchen and an event and activity space.

Town Attorney Diane Martin-Grande cautioned the board that the proposed use of the property is a campsite, which is technically a permitted use. The board concluded that primitive camping – defined as seasonal, one to two family tent camping – was the only permitted use of the property under 280-a, and that the construction of any new, long-term infrastructure, such as electrical or dumping sites, was prohibited.

The second concern of the board was that there are not enough roads on the property to support emergency vehicles, and even if there were, the soil surrounding them would be unable to support the weight of these vehicles, which could cause them to sink and possibly tip over, officials said.

Another issue was the potential of hazardous materials in the soil and/or water. It is known that the Air Force had used oil, PCB, asbestos and solvents when it used the property as a radar testing site. These hazardous materials were addressed in the 1990s after the site closed. The property was re-examined again in 2021 and no further action has been taken since.

Following the discussion, the planning board made a motion to approve the amended response to the town board, which stated that it does not recommend the town board grant an open development permit to Restore Forward, LLC.

To view the project site plan, application or other documents, visit townava.digitaltowpath.org.

To learn more about BWB and Restore Forward, LLC, visit restoreny.org.