Questions About Our Future Answered

The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival has moved from its longtime site at Boscobel House and Gardens to a 98-acre property in Philipstown offered by philanthropist Chris Davis as a permanent home for the non-profit theater company. With a focus on ecological restoration and climate-smart investment in green design, this new home will provide HVSF the long-term stability of a secure foundation and will serve as a vibrant hub for our local community, a year-round cultural anchor for the Hudson Highlands, and a model for environmental sustainability in the performing arts. Chris Davis’s generosity to HVSF will also achieve permanent protection of the land from residential or commercial subdivision and development through (i) legally enforceable deed restrictions and (ii) establishing a financially and ecologically sustainable use for the land that will also be an asset to the local community.

In 1999, Chris Davis bought the property when it was on the verge of being developed into a suburban-style residential subdivision and development, and continued to operate it as a golf course while he sought a viable adaptive reuse for the property that aligned with his conservation values. In HVSF – an arts organization that has been in Philipstown for over three decades, and has deep roots in this community – Chris Davis identified an opportunity to realize his original goal of permanent protection and conservation of the land, while maintaining its role as a community resource and an important economic engine for Philipstown.

After over three decades of short-term rental agreements at Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison, HVSF was presented with the generous offer from Chris Davis to become the stewards of 98 acres of river-view land. In addition to ensuring HVSF’s long-term future with its first-ever permanent home, the opportunity has allowed both HVSF and Boscobel to focus on its own distinct missions and programming priorities. 

Located less than four miles from Boscobel, the new site is situated within a larger 200+ acre property that was formerly The Garrison Golf Course at 2015 U.S. 9, Garrison, NY. That property will be divided into three parcels, including the 98 acres that are to be HVSF’s new home and another parcel retained as a residence for the Davis Family. The remaining acreage has been conveyed to the Hudson Highlands Land Trust. If the HVSF project is approved by the Planning Board, all 200 acres of the former golf course lands will be permanently protected and conserved.

Since receiving approval on the draft scope of our Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in November of 2022, our team has been quietly hard at work over the past several months, working with a variety of environmental professionals to carry out the additional studies outlined in our approved scope. On February 16, 2023, we presented our draft EIS (DEIS) findings to the Philipstown Planning Board. New studies and updated findings include:

• Water demand: A pump test was performed on two existing on-site wells in order to determine whether the wells will provide sufficient water for the project without impacting neighboring wells.  The wells were pumped at over six times the project’s designed water demand for 72-hours without negative impacts, demonstrating that there is sufficient groundwater available and that HVSF’s daily operations will not affect neighboring wells.

• Wildlife: Six wildlife cameras were deployed at the Garrison for three months and collected 1,167 photos of wildlife including 9 mammals and 14 bird species. The most common species captured included white-tailed deer and coyote, with no threatened or endangered species detected.

• Wetlands: The updated 2022 project design removes the planned entrance bridge that would have been built in a wetland buffer, reducing 1.59 acres of disturbance. The project is designed to improve wetland buffer quality and functionality due to preservation of open space, rewilding of the former golf course, and a wetland mitigation planting plan around the perimeter of the pond.

• Visuals: New leaf-on and leaf-off photos were taken from 10 selected viewpoints to assess visibility of the updated 2022 design.  Additional information on theater and site lighting is provided, showing that lighting intensity has been reduced to the minimum necessary.

• Noise: The DEIS includes an updated noise study using sound data from HVSF’s 2022 performance season. The report concludes that even with simultaneous theater and wedding events, noise from the project will be well within the Town Code noise limits.

As the project has progressed, we’ve taken many suggestions into consideration and adjusted our plans significantly to get the best results for our community. We expect that there may be additional fine-tuning to our plans in response to the input of local community members and the leadership of the Planning Board. To date, changes include:

• Permanently protecting a substantial area of land with important environmental and scenic attributes.
• Further safeguarding Philipse Brook, its tributaries and adjacent terrain with a committed contribution of 17 acres to the Hudson Highlands Land Trust.
• Redesigning the plan for Artist Lodging to ensure: no visibility of the structures from Route 9; an eco-friendlier design by conglomerating units; and the privacy and safety of our visiting staff.
• Following three public hearings surrounding HVSF’s State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR), as well as three public site visits and civic conversations throughout the community, HVSF announced on March 29, 2022 that it will narrow the scope of its proposed plan by removing the proposed 20-room inn and a year-round indoor theater from the application.
• Adjusting the placement of the proposed parking lot out of the designated wetland buffer zone.
• Proposing a new open-air theater design, which was submitted to the Philipstown Planning Board on September 1, 2022, as part of the next phase of the environmental review process after receiving a positive declaration under SEQRA from the Philipstown Planning Board on June 16, 2022.
• Sharing the intention to plant additional greenery and trees to provide further screening and limit any view of its permanent open-air theater from both Snake Hill Road and Route 9.
• Eliminating a proposed new entrance to Snake Hill Road – and the bridge that would be constructed for the new entrance – in the September 1, 2022 filing with the Planning Board, as the existing entrance on Snake Hill Road was sufficient and safe operating on a one-way basis during the 2022 performance season.

The Festival is preparing for its 2023 season, which will utilize its preexisting tent and operate under a special events permit. This special events permit allows HVSF to continue to serve our community and perform on the site while the approval process moves forward unhindered. Subject to the relevant approvals, HVSF plans to open the new open-air theater in the summer of 2025.

The former 200+ acre, 18-hole golf course closed in November of 2021, and is being transformed into an ecologically managed, community-accessible landscape.  

Ninety-eight of those acres are being transferred to HVSF to become an environmentally sustainable theater campus with accessible parkland for all in our community. HVSF’s latest proposal, submitted to the Philipstown Planning Board on September 1, 2022, includes a LEED-Platinum permanent open-air theater in addition to environmentally sensitive parking, accessible pathways for strolling, native meadows, and wildflower gardens. The native plant materials planned for the passive recreation area will allow for maintenance practices that eliminate the regular application of pesticides and herbicides and support a dramatic reduction in the use of irrigation.

Use by HVSF will be an ecological benefit to the site as compared to golf, which required an enormous amount of water and caused nitrogen-rich runoff to our waterways, resulting in a biologically sterile grass monoculture. The Trust for Public Land has identified former golf courses as priorities for conservation, since they are ideal targets for intensive development and can be restored to ecological health. 

In HVSF’s proposal, the built structures on the site will take up less than two acres of the total site plan. All told, HVSF’s facilities, new pathways, and new parking will amount to just five acres. If the HVSF project is approved, this land will be permanently conserved and protected from residential or commercial development by legally enforceable deed restrictions imposed by Chris Davis at the time of transfer to HVSF. 

Beginning January 4, 2023, the Valley Restaurant will take a winter hiatus to prepare for a spring reopening with a refreshed concept and menu that draws from visitor favorites and invites the community to join in a welcoming dining experience. The restaurant will reopen to visitors in Spring 2023. 

Weddings at The Garrison will continue uninterrupted and without change, under the supervision of long-time employee Seth Knapp, Chef de Cuisine, who will remain as head of catering operations.

The latest open air-design theater design, submitted to the planning board on September 1, 2022, would be the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum purpose-built theater in the country. Solar panels, rainwater capture, reduced embedded carbon and other cutting-edge green design elements will minimize climate and other environmental impacts, and better protect the theater from extreme weather and wear. 

HVSF’s plan requires none of the water and pesticide overuse and ill effect on biodiversity that maintaining a golf course requires.

Chris Davis purchased the site in 1999 to prevent it from unwelcome commercial development. By making this extraordinary offer to HVSF, Chris Davis ensures its permanent protection from subdivision and development through deeded restrictions. In our new role as stewards of this property, HVSF will extend Chris Davis’s legacy of conservation, and we have hired a world-class team to design the campus with a sustainable, landscape-first approach.

The proposed conversion will reduce the amount of water required to maintain the site; diminish, if not eliminate, the need for pesticides; and promote a rich ecology and habitat matrix. As the new caretakers of the property, we are also committed to maintaining and restoring the existing wetlands on the site. We are conducting a tree survey of any areas of the site affected by the plan, and for any tree removal that will be required, our landscape-led plan will focus on strengthening the ecological systems already on-site while supplementing with new native plantings.

HVSF has been undergoing a thorough and public review process of our plans as part of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). We first appeared before the Town Board followed by the Planning Board in November and December of 2020. In June of 2022, the Planning Board required that HVSF complete an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). As part of that process, HVSF submitted an amended proposal to the Planning Board on Sept 1, 2022, with an updated design for the new open-air theater, along with other amendments, such as the removal of a new bridge from Snake Hill Road.

Following the Planning Board’s approval of HVSF’s draft scope for the EIS in November of 2022, our team worked with environmental professionals to conduct the additional studies outlined in our scope. Following several months of research, on February 16, 2023 we presented our draft EIS (DEIS) findings to the Planning Board. The next step is for the Planning Board to vote on the completeness of our DEIS. Following that, the Planning Board will make the entire DEIS available to the public on the Philipstown website, in anticipation of a public hearing.

To complete this project, HVSF’s board and senior leadership, working closely with The Garrison’s General Manager Chip Allemann, have engaged a team of experts:

• Landscape Architects and Master Planners: Thomas Woltz and Lanie McKinnon, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
• Civil Engineering + Survey: Glenn Watson, Badey & Watson
• Legal: Adam Stolorow, Sive, Paget & Riesel; P. Daniel Hollis, Hollis Laidlaw & Simon
• Traffic Engineering: John Canning, Kimley-Horn
• Environmental Planning: Jan Johannessen, Kellard Sessions
• Acoustics: Carl Giegold, Threshold Acoustics
• Owner’s Representation: Faye Premer and Alexandra Patrone, About The Work
• Architect: Jeanne Gang and Wes Walker, Studio Gang
• Theater Consultant: Joshua Dachs, Fisher Dachs Associates

In the non-profit regional theater, it is both customary and a union requirement to provide housing for visiting artists. In the early days of our theater, our artists were housed during the season with Philipstown neighbors, but now are housed in commercial motels in Fishkill. We are eager to welcome these artists back to Philipstown with a plan for on-site lodging that can accommodate them during the season and other guests to our community at other times throughout the year. The zoning for the site currently allows for guest accommodations of up to 40 rooms (including the 8 that are currently available at the inn) and we are requesting an increase of 14 rooms to allow all of our artists to stay on site. We will collaborate with the Planning Board and Town Board to ensure that this lodging follows all required local codes. Having lodging near the theater will reduce carbon emissions and commutes for artists traveling between different locations.

Absolutely nothing. The property is large enough that both weddings and performances can happen concurrently without disturbance or interruption, and that has been proved by the successful operations of both throughout the summer of 2022 .

Additionally, during the Valley Restaurant’s brief winter hiatus, wedding operations will continue uninterrupted and without change. Seth Knapp, Chef de Cuisine for The Garrison’s wedding catering, will remain as the head of catering operations.

Following a successful first season at The Garrison, we now have empirical data that provides tangible evidence of stable, safe, and sustainable traffic both entering and exiting the site. In addition, the proposed new open-air theater concept’s seating capacity is no larger than the tent currently being used; in fact, it’s a little smaller. 

The Project also proposes to install turn lanes on NYS Route 9 at the site driveway and a long-sought  traffic signal at the intersection of Snake Hill with Route 9. NYSDOT is currently reviewing the Permit Application for this signal.

No—our latest filing with the planning board consists of an open-air theater design made of local and sustainable materials such as timber and slate, thoughtfully designed to blend into the natural landscape. The low-slung structure mimics the contours and geology of the Hudson Highlands and offers a lower profile design to minimize any visual impacts while conforming to the town code. It’s still open-air, but covered by a beautiful pavilion-like roof structure, instead of a fabric tent. 

Additionally, we eliminated the proposed second indoor theater from our application in March of 2022.

From the start, we’ve worked closely with acoustical and design experts to minimize any impact of light and sound within the area. Most recently, as part of our draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), we conducted a new study that produced updated findings pertaining to sound pollution. The study utilized sound data from HVSF’s 2022 performance season at the Garrison and concluded that even with simultaneous theater and wedding events, noise from the project will be well within the Town Code noise limits.

Following a successful first season at The Garrison, we now also have empirical data that provides a tangible measure of our sound and light impact. To date, we have not received any complaints from site neighbors regarding sound or light pollution during our shows, and we are thrilled to now have evidence from a full season of performances to accurately demonstrate both our commitment to being a good neighbor, and our full compliance with Philipstown code regarding both noise and light.

Yes! In the coming seasons, we are looking forward to expanding our season later into the beautiful Hudson Valley fall, with performances running into mid-October. Performances in September and early October will allow us to grow our education partnerships and welcome school groups to matinee performances. We also look forward to making the currently-existing indoor gathering spaces at The Garrison (now used almost exclusively for events on the weekends) available for HVSF community events, after-school educational programming, and use by other Hudson Valley non-profit organizations in need of space.

We anticipate the magnificent view to be a backdrop for all our performances, and picnicking will still be encouraged. HVSF’s new home has a jaw-dropping northward view of the Hudson River, with Storm King Mountain on the left, Breakneck Ridge on the right, and the gateway to the upper Hudson Valley. Audience members can continue to picnic before performances, just as they have done for decades. Additionally, guests will have the option of dining indoors or on the terrace at the Valley Restaurant or World’s End Bar. The magnificent new view will provide the backdrop for our performances, and our company of actors will continue to appear over a ridge on the horizon, a signature of HVSF productions.

Yes! While not envisioned as a public park, we intend to continue to allow passive-use access for neighbors to walk their dogs, or snowshoe in the winter, as they have done in the past. Because of its spectacular view of the surrounding landscape, the site is a unique place from which to appreciate the natural beauty of the Hudson Highlands. As a privately owned property, with reasonable restrictions on permitted uses and times of access, we want to be able to share this experience with our neighbors and the members of the public, not just with HVSF patrons. At the same time, HVSF will reserve the right to thoughtfully and responsibly manage access to the property to prevent overuse.

A permanent campus and the ability to add amenities and extend our season will grow our economic impact by several million dollars, by our projections.

As one of the largest employers in western Putnam County, our existing 160-person seasonal staff consists of both local and national talent. These staff members work and play in our community, and have a significant impact on our local small businesses. With our planned seasonal expansion and performances continuing into the fall season, we are planning for nearly 50 additional staff positions, six additional weeks of employment for our seasonal company, and five more year-round administrative positions. Previously, without the ability to expand our season or alter facilities, our annual economic impact has been constrained to roughly $4.6M. By extending our performance season later in the fall and adding critical audience and artist amenities, we project our regional impact will grow to $7.6M annually by 2025.

As testimony to its economic importance, the project was designated as a “Priority Project” by the State of New York Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council and so far has received $2.5 million in state economic development funding.   

HVSF’s plans for the site are currently under review by the Philipstown Planning Board. The Philipstown Planning Board typically meets at 7:30pm on the third Thursday of each month. Members of the public are welcome to attend in-person or watch these meetings on YouTube Live. More information on the agenda and how to RSVP to watch the meeting will be posted on: https://philipstown.com/government/town-board/town-board-meeting-schedule

If you are interested in joining the growing group of HVSF’s friends and supporters working together to bring this project to fruition, please email Emily Casey at ecasey@hvshakespeare.org

If you still have questions, or would like additional information, we are happy to share links to any of the studies we have completed or address any of the concerns you may have. We make it a priority to reply to every email that we receive. Please contact questions[at]hvshakespeare.org.