BETHEL — Concerns over the proposed Mount Hope Estates development continued at the Bethel Town Board meeting on Wednesday, July 8, as residents questioned the project’s impact on water supply, wastewater treatment, traffic, wetlands and the rural character of the Mount Hope Road area in Swan Lake.

A written response from the applicant said the Planning Board has already approved the project’s yield plan of up to 37 homes and that the project, located at 600 Mount Hope Road, has now entered the engineering design phase.

The document, received and filed by the town board, said current work at the site is limited to selective clearing and grubbing, construction of a temporary access road and preparation for future groundwater test wells.

The applicant’s response also said the activities were reviewed and authorized by the town, while the proposed test well locations remain under review by the New York State Department of Health.

Town officials also said no wells have been drilled at the site.

After visiting the property with other officials, Councilman Adam Gold noted that less than an acre had been cleared and that the building department had issued a driveway permit.

“To our knowledge, nothing has been done there without proper approvals,” Gold said.

Supervisor Daniel Sturm later clarified that no well-related work would move forward until the Department of Health signs off on the test well locations.

“There will be no more work towards any wells until the DOH has officially signed off,” Sturm said, adding that the only continuing work would be completion of the access road.

Residents said the start of site work caused alarm because neighbors had not been clearly informed about what was happening.

Judith Cucinotta, who has lived in Bethel for 35 years, said residents near the project became concerned when heavy machinery began working on June 22.

“Perhaps if we had been informed ahead of time that the sole purpose of this initial clearing was for groundwater test wells, our reactions would have been tempered by this knowledge,” Cucinotta said.

She said residents want reassurance that the aquifer can support the proposed homes without harming neighboring wells. She also raised concerns about wastewater treatment in an area without a town sewer system.

“We need to be reassured by the results of these test wells,” Cucinotta said.

Lori Horowitz, speaking on behalf of the Horseshoe Lake Preservation Association LLC, later read from a notice residents received from the applicant regarding well testing. The notice said a new well was expected to be installed around March 15 and that a pumping test was expected around April 16, Horowitz said.

“There was no indication of what would transpire ... on Monday morning, June 22,” Horowitz said. “Demolition and clearing began without notification to neighboring properties.”

Horowitz said the group’s concerns are about land use, environmental protection and the protection of Horseshoe Lake, nearby wetlands and surrounding homes.

The document sent by the applicant made claims that some of the concerns raised by the public were based on religious bias against prospective future homeowners.

Horowitz rejected any claim that opposition to the project was based on religious bias.

“My concerns are not motivated by prejudice nor religious profiling,” Horowitz said, adding that she is Jewish and that the issue is “purely a land use issue.”

The applicant’s written response also accused opponents of mischaracterizing the current phase of work and conflating preliminary engineering investigations with full-scale construction.

The letter said future engineering and permitting decisions would be based on technical analysis, applicable law and review by regulatory agencies.

Don Cucinotta, speaking later during public comment, focused on the possibility of a package wastewater treatment plant and discharge into a stream near the property.

He said the stream had little to no water in it and questioned whether any treatment system would be able to meet a high enough standard during low-flow conditions.

Sturm said he has confidence in the Planning Board and building department to review the project thoroughly.

“I have great faith in our planning board, our building department,” Sturm said. “All of your questions will be answered. Concerns answered. And if it’s not doable, then it’s not doable.”

The project is expected to continue through Planning Board review, with Department of Health and other regulatory approvals still required before any test wells or final construction can move forward.