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Red Hook neighbors push back on a major expansion to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Episode 59: Red Hook neighbors push back on a major expansion to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

Red Hook neighbors push back on a major expansion at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome over traffic, noise, and fears about the facility's future character.

Show notes

Daily Catch reporter Athan Yanos has been covering the growing controversy surrounding a proposed expansion at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, and he joins Walter Mullin this week to discuss. The aerodrome, a beloved Hudson Valley institution that has drawn aviation enthusiasts from around the world for nearly seven decades, is seeking approval from the Red Hook Planning Board to nearly double its building footprint — replacing 11 existing structures with six new, modern ones. Director Tara Grieb insists the project is purely about preserving and sustaining what the aerodrome already does, just with better facilities. But at a packed planning board meeting, close to 30 residents submitted letters in opposition, with concerns ranging from traffic on the area's narrow residential roads to noise, light pollution, and the visual impact of large modern buildings on a quiet rural neighborhood.

Critics also pointed to language in earlier versions of the master plan, references to maximizing "other site uses," hosting weddings and galas, and renting hangar space to private aircraft. That disappeared from later drafts, raising questions about the aerodrome's true intentions. Yanos and Mullin break down what's being proposed, why the planning board declined to vote, and what comes next — including a continuation of the public hearing on June 15th and the possibility of legal challenges on the horizon.

Produced by Emily Sachar, Walter Mullin, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud at the Radio Free Rhinecilff studio

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Athan Yanos

Athan Yanos

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