Congratulations to Friends of Round Top & Sierra Club

Friends of Round Top (see: saveroundtop.com) partnering with Sierra Club, have been fighting to uphold the law (sound familiar?) regarding a similar though larger development in Cairo NY. While the property wasn’t purchased by Six Senses, the Cairo Planning Board’s chair shared that it would likely be operated as a Six Senses branded resort. The inclusion of a building in their submitted plans, called “Earth Lab“, a feature found on Six Senses resorts (link here), appears to corroborate this. The Clinton Six Senses project also shares the same planner, KARC.

Ultimately, the court found that the Cairo Planning Board failed to follow SEQRA requirements and ignored their own consultants, so the court struck down their “Neg Dec”. We hope the Clinton Planning Board doesn’t make the same mistakes!!

To our CSHV Supporters, this shows we CAN protect our communities by staying the course, even if our boards don’t!!

Attached is a letter from our friends at Sierra Club. Note that William Demarest is also co-representing CSHV in our legal efforts (bold‘ing is ours):

———- Forwarded message ———
From: Roger Downs <roger.downs@sierraclub.org>
Date: Wed, Apr 29, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Subject: We won! Court finds Blackhead Mountain Lodge Violated SEQRA

Dear Atlantic Chapter Leaders and Friends –

 

As you may recall, the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter and Friends of Round Top challenged a proposed $300 million mega resort in the Catskills for lack of proper environmental review. After a year of waiting we just received a ruling from the Greene County Supreme Court nullifying the ‘Neg Dec” of significance under SEQRA.  We are hopeful that the Town of Cairo will order a full Environmental Impact Statement this time, and take into account the significant environmental threats presented. (which should lead to a smaller, more harmonious project or create an opening to preserve the land as forever wild)

 

Congratulations to all who contributed to this fight!  Thanks to our legal team of John Barrone and William Demarest! Hopefully this decision will resonate with other planning boards facing outsized mega developments and are reluctant to do the right thing.

 

Decision is attached.

 

R