Residents speak out on Six Senses expansion in Clinton

Local residents shuffled around folding chairs to fit into the Clinton Town Hall on Thursday night to comment on the proposed zoning regulations surrounding the Six Senses site plan and special permit to expand the existing use of the 228.4-acre property into a “program-based health and wellness retreat” off of Route 9G on the border of Hyde Park and the Town of Clinton.

The site –which has been previously in operation as a wedding venue and special event space as Old Stone Farm and The Dutchess – has plans to be expanded into a retreat center offering guests with programs that “run hours, days or weeks” such as “The Art of Staying Young,” prenatal care classes, yoga, weight loss programs, equine therapy, “self-healing workshops,” and fall foliage walks.

In addition to the existing buildings at the former Old Stone Farm, plans entail the construction of more than 20 new buildings onsite including a 21,000-square foot wellness center, a 3,250-square foot dining area, a 3,496-square foot pool house, five 1,490-square foot Deluxe Farm Cottages, four 1,500-square foot cottages, a new 4,866-square foot barn, two 5,000-plus-square foot Longbarns, in addition to a gate house at the entrance, and a golf cart garage.

Comments from nearby neighbors included some praise for the potential economic impact, as well as concerns about increased noise, traffic on 9G, guests wandering onto their backyards, and the impacts on local water use, especially during summer droughts.

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Residents also expressed concern that the Town’s Municipal Code Enforcement Inspector, Jeff Newman, has also been an employee of the applicant and previous owners of the property as their Director of Operations. [Newman, who was involved in amendments to the town’s definition of a conference center in 2021, submitted a recusal letter for “any involvement of the Six Sense application” during the October 2023 Planning Board meeting.]

“There’s a lot for us to consider,” ZBA board member Charlie Canham remarked at the end of the hearing. “There was a lot of honest opinion here tonight.”

The public hearing period will resume at the ZBA’s March meeting, the fourth Thursday of the month at 7:30pm. Comments may also be emailed to the ZBA for the record: ZEO@townofclinton.com

Click here for a PDF of the master plans and renderings for Six Senses.

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