|
| |
 
 
| Some
Rockland officials continue to fear the impact from large-scale
development just across the county border, even as environmentalists
work with builders and municipalities to maintain open space, farmland,
water resources and wildlife habitat.
Plans for new home construction in Tuxedo
and Sterling Forest in Orange County are two of the flash points in the
debate.
"They're throwing up houses, condos
and commercial shopping centers in Monroe-Woodbury faster than hound
dogs after rabbits," Sloatsburg Mayor Carl Wright said last week,
referring to the shopping center construction occurring on Route 17 at
the New York State Thruway interchange in Harriman.
Specifically, Wright is keeping a wary eye on the
effect that several nearby
|
developments would have on his village of about
3,000 on Route 17 in western Ramapo.
Developers of the Tuxedo Reserve, between
Sloatsburg and Tuxedo Park in Orange County, are proposing 1,200 to
1,300 units of single-family homes, townhouses and senior housing on
400-plus acres of their 2,400-acre parcel. Local officials and
environmentalists worry that the development will bring 3,000 people, at
least half of whom will own cars, and will double the size of the town
of Tuxedo.
Another worry for Wright is the traffic's
effect on Sterling Mine Road from Sterling Forge Estates, a proposed
development of 103 single-family homes and a golf course on nearly 580
acres in the middle of nearby Sterling Forest State Park.
|
| In
contrast, Sloatsburg, which is in the process of completing its
comprehensive plan, has no large development projects of its own.
"We're a community of friends
and neighbors that is trying to control growth, maintain our semi-rural
rustic community, keep land in reserve for our grandchildren and avoid
becoming a sea of urbanization," Wright said. "The perception
is that our downtown and main street — state highway Route 17 — is a
place people can be proud of. But when you increase traffic at a high
rate of speed, it works against our goals and objectives."
Increased traffic is not his only
concern. Wright said 15 percent of Sloatsburg's ambulance calls and a
large part of its fire department mutual aid calls go to Tuxedo. |
"These development proposals are going
to have a very negative impact on Sloatsburg and will put a tremendous
demand on our police, ambulance and fire departments for mutual aid
calls," Wright said, "with no fringe benefits." In
addition, he said, "With trees going down and buildings going up,
we have to be concerned about drainage and taxing of our water
resources, if we continue to have drought cycles."
The impact from neighboring development
is typical for the region, environmentalists said.
"What happens in Orange and
Rockland affects New Jersey," said Tom Thompson, co-chairman of the
Sterling Forest Partnership, a nonprofit coalition committed to
preserving Sterling Forest and the Ramapo River Valley. |
| "With
the unbridled sprawl that is consuming 5,000 to 10,000 acres each year,
it's difficult to find developers who are willing to think of the
environment. But some folks in government are now realizing, with the
drought, how critical the Highlands are for our water
supply."
Rockland's drought has lasted nearly two
years, and the county has been under Stage 3 drought restrictions since
April.
Thompson said the Wanaque Reservoir in
Passaic County was one of 12 bodies of water that New Jersey raised to
No. 1 status, requiring its water to be pure enough for trout to
survive. But if the Wanaque is held to this level of purity, Thompson
wonders, will the tributaries that feed the reservoir, including the
Ramapo River, be called on to achieve the same purity? |
The Ramapo
River starts at Round Lake in Monroe and flows through Harriman,
Southfields, Tuxedo, Sloatsburg, Hillburn, Mahwah, Oakland, Pompton
Lakes and then into the Pompton River, a tributary of the Passaic
River. The Ramapo River is considered impaired and in need of
improvement by both New York and New Jersey.
Nitrogen, phosphorus, bacteria and
sedimentation are the main factors that impair the quality of the
river water, said Geoff Welch, chairman of the Ramapo River Committee
and the Rockland County Conservation Association's Subcommittee to
Save the Torne Valley.
"The best way to protect the
Ramapo River watershed is to preserve green space and limit
development," Welch said. "I'm in favor of a moratorium on
development until we have a study of the watershed and a
forward-looking watershed management plan." |
| John
Gebhards, executive director of the Orange County Land Trust, also is
aware of the regional effect of development.
"The Highlands don't know a
boundary line," he said. "That's why the proposed Highlands
Stewardship Act is so important."
Supporters have said the proposed
federal Highlands Stewardship Act — designed to preserve the
Highlands region in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut
— would address urban sprawl, promote smart growth, provide a
balance between the region's environmental and economic needs, and
define what role the federal government should play in the region.
"We must find ways to buffer reservoirs and not build at
headwaters, because so much of the argument for the Highlands is based
on water, with high rocky ridges, wetlands and lakes," Gebhards
said. "Once you start building, you get pollution. |
"Clearing land and paving causes
rapid water runoff, and development brings pollutants such as oils,
pesticides, heavy metals and rock salt," he said. "We have
to know what our resources are and plan their use to ensure their
sustainability, because if we overbuild, the resources won't be
there."
Environmentalists point to their most
successful role — helping preserve much of Sterling Forest from
development — as a model of federal, state and private
collaboration.
In 1998, government and private sources
provided $55 million to buy and preserve 17,000 acres of the forest in
New York. The area that spans the towns of Tuxedo, Warwick and Monroe
in Orange County represents the last large unbroken habitat in the
Highlands and serves as the watershed for 2 million residents of New
York and New Jersey. A subsequent $9 million bought an additional
1,000 acres, and several smaller pieces have been added since. |
| But
pockets of concern remain. For example, environmentalists hope for a
full supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement to answer
questions they have about the proposed Sterling Forge Estates and its
golf course.
"Water is a major issue,"
Gebhards said. "Tuxedo Lake is the source of a drinking water
supply downstream from the golf course, and plans are to use water
from the area's old iron mines for irrigation. Local mine water, which
is acidic, can make aluminum and other toxic chemicals
soluble."
It's not always a case of
"us" against "them," Gebhards said of the
traditional standoff between environmentalists and developers.
"Private individuals and companies
are waking up to the need for better planning, balancing the use of
resources and maintaining open space," he said. "And some
developers are realizing that a balance between building and open
space is good for the community." |
Jack O'Keeffe,
president of the Ramapo Land Co. in Sloatsburg, agrees that some open
space is desirable. He cites his company's sale of 900 acres as green
space to Mahwah, N.J., 260 acres the company donated to Passaic County
some years ago, and the company's restriction of the Pierson Lakes
development in Sterlington to 74 homes instead of 500.
"Planning and the cluster zoning
of homes while keeping the periphery forever wild encourages a
combination of recreation, economic development and preserving the
character of a community," O'Keeffe said. "Some development
has to be designed for mid- and lower-income people. But careful
zoning and planning can accommodate the full spectrum."
Gebhards said one helpful tool was to
have conservation easements, with tax benefits to owners while they
retain title to the land and increase the value on their homes. In
other cases, he said, individuals who donate land outright are also
eligible for tax advantages. |
TOP
|
