Crossroads Ventures LLC, the developer behind a contentious ski resort in Ulster County, has once again changed the proposed design and scope of its project. Bellayre Mountain is already home to a state-run ski center

A spokesman for the developer said in a presentation before the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce that the second hotel on the Highmount section of the planned Belleayre Resort was being downsized, reducing the project's total number of lodging units from 772 to 629.

The development site is near the state-run Belleayre Mountain Ski Center and was begun under a 2007 agreement between the state, Crossroads Ventures and environmental groups. Critics fear the project will jam traffic, alter views on local trails, change the character of small valley hamlets and degrade the environment.

One of the project's opponents, the Catskill Heritage Alliance, responded to the changes with continued criticism, saying project is "too large, too exclusive and too high up." The alliance is also upset over the changing nature of the proposal, which has undergone several major rewrites. 

The supplemental draft environmental impact statement for the project, which is still being prepared, will have all changes incorporated. State review of the project will begin after that paperwork is submitted.

For more on changes to the Bellayre redevelopment, check out the Albany Times- Union.