If developer Paul Camarda has his way, 19 acres of town-owned land along Route 6 near the Southeast border will be used to construct an upscale shopping center and luxury hotel. "When one looks at the 50 top retailers across America, Putnam County may have two or three of the big retailers. This gives us a wide choice of new business," he said.

Mr. Camarda said Monday the location of the property made it ideal for commercial development. "It is located near Route 312 and I-84 and is the gateway to the Putnam County seat. Why shouldn't a quality hotel be built in Putnam?"

While a variety of motels exist across the county, currently, not a single hotel or conference center can be found in all of Putnam, which state officials say is the fastest growing county in all of New York State.

Local organizations conducting installation dinners or testimonials often travel to the greater Danbury area or Fishkill for the affairs.

Mr. Camarda met last week with the Carmel Town Board and has offered the town $40,000 an acre for the property.

Supervisor Frank DelCampo called the property "very valuable. We have had the land appraised and the offer is being reviewed. I'd rather not divulge what our appraisal for the property came in at but it is higher than Mr. Camarda's offer," he said Monday.

The supervisor added, "in Mr. Camarda's defense, he is willing to install water and sewer hook-ups to our municipal systems which is a tremendous cost. The town board and I are proceeding cautiously but as quickly as possible. This is a viable commercial site that has merit."

Mr. Camarda owns adjoining property that was recently purchased at $17,000 an acre. Property for his proposed Carmel Corporate Center was purchased for $19,000 an acre.

Mr. Camarda said he wanted to purchase the town property for a very legitimate reason. "The 68 acres that I currently own which adjoin the town property are developable on their own merits. However, from a realistic view, would a hotel or a quality, attractive shop locate next door to a tin butler building housing town equipment with piles of salt being stored for inclement weather? This is not an aesthetically pleasing use," he said.

Mr. Camarda asked: "How many people do you know who want to drive to a wedding or a formal affair and pass by the town's salt pile covered with giant tarps? The town is using a piece of property on the gateway to the county seat that should be located on a tobacco road someplace not on a main thoroughfare."

Last month, Mr. Camarda announced plans to construct a shopping mall off I-84 at Route 311 in Lake Carmel on the site where the 450,000-square foot Lake Carmel Factory Shoppes outlet center had been proposed.

PHOTO BY ERIC GROSS