ROCK HILL — The Hamaspik Resort in Rock Hill received a special use permit to open this year as a summer camp that will cater to individuals who are diagnosed with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, behavior disorders and other brain injuries.

The site has been operating as a private hotel since the location was purchased in 2021 by New York State Hamaspik Association (NYSHA) but was recently opened to allow the public to be guests during the week.

The summer camp operation should start on July 1—after being granted the special use permit; however, the permit comes with restrictions as the rest of the resort is still under review.

According to the resolution for the special use permit, the sleepaway camp will operate this summer for one year only, and the applicant would need to participate in a public hearing before the 2023 camp season.

Moreover, the camp is expected to have a maximum of 40 campers with 92 staff members.

Furthermore, the applicant can not undertake any construction projects that have been proposed in the site plant application, which includes a 37,000-sqaure-foot building that will be used for classrooms, an indoor sports arena and an additional shul and mikveh.

When the summer camp begins on July 1, the planning board stated in the resolution that the site should not be operating as a hotel, and the final approval will be subject to approvals from the Thompson Town Engineer, the town planner and the town attorney.

The resort will need to provide signage along Rock  Hill Drive stating there is additional parking in the rear of the site, and the New York State Department Of Health must approve the camp before it can begin operating.

Another special use permit condition is that the applicant will be subject to random camp inspections as per the Thompson Town Code.

According to Stephan A. Maffia, a consulting engineer for the project, there is no proposal to add any sidewalk to Rock Hill Drive for pedestrians.

Likewise, according to a Traffic Impact Study that was done for the Hamaspik Resort Hotel, the amount of traffic from the site was at the same level when the site operated as the Ramada Inn. The same study stated that the proposed summer camp traffic would be lower once it is open.

The applicant will still need to come before the planning board in the near future to discuss the other projects proposed for the site.