That development will come to the Town of Mamakating is a given. And let's face it: Mamakating needs the money. As revenue continues to shrink, many residents look around and see that there is a serious lack of "rateables," those types of enterprises, commercial or otherwise, which use little in the way of town resources, yet pay taxes at a fairly high rate.

The two large development projects that are currently under review by the town planning board — along with other agencies — are the Yukiguni mushroom plant and the development known as 'Seven Peaks.' Both projects, if built, would be a major tax windfall to a community desperately in need of the revenue they would provide.

But the approach of the two companies involved — Yukiguni Maitake (YM) in the case of the Mushroom plant, and Black Creek Developments in the case of 'Seven Peaks' — couldn't be more different. When YM came into Mamakating they, in the eyes of many, chose to take an approach that set them on a collision course with community groups, preeminently the BKAA. According to the BKAA, YM has not been as forthcoming as it could have been with information requested by the organization. These requests for information, in fact, have led to litigation. As a result, the project has taken years longer than it might have under other circumstances. But if the company has nothing to hide, then why not simply provide this information? Such openness could have gone a long way toward alleviating suspicion within the community, as well as ratcheting down the antagonism many have felt.

Black Creek, on the other hand, has done a much better job of keeping community groups in the loop as to the company's plans. The company has, from the beginning, been much more open and forthcoming about its plans for the 'Seven Peaks' site, and representatives of the company appear to be going out of their way to listen to — and, more importantly, address — community concerns. This has led to a dynamic in which community groups, though still wary, have been much more receptive to the company's plans, precisely because everyone is on the same page.

'Seven Peaks' is not a 'perfect' project, by any stretch; most environmentalists would prefer that no development take place on the ridge. But, if development is going to happen, the 'Seven Peaks' project demonstrates that it is possible for positive, constructive relationships between community groups and developers to exist. Black Creek appears to be showing all the naysayers, on both sides of the development argument, that dialogue is not only possible, but that it is essential, especially given the fact that all parties, for the most part, live and work in the same community.

Whatever 'blue sky' YM might have garnered was long ago squandered as a result of its lack of transparency; it will take years to eliminate the suspicion many in the community feel toward the company. Black Creek, on the other hand, though still not exactly on the best terms with some members of the community, has taken a course approximating the high road. They appear to be listening and responding to the community in a manner that has given the project a much better chance of success.

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