25 Acres Preserved & Protected
I’m proud to announce we celebrated something very special this week – the latest properties purchased, preserved, and protected under the County of Rockland’s Open Space Acquisition Program. Those properties are located at 1015 and 1019 Route 45 in Pomona and 20 New Valley Road in New City, totaling 25 acres.
In 1950, hundreds of farms sprawled across more than 17,000 acres in Rockland. Fast forward to current day; we only have a handful left on 400 acres and only 4% of land remaining to be developed or protected.
This is why my administration is doing what it can to preserve more land, irreplaceable resources, and the wildlife calling it home.
I’d like to remind everyone that what makes this program so special is the collaboration involved in this program.
The public first nominates the properties that are then vetted by our Open Space Advisory Committee made up of representatives from the Division of Environmental Resources, Department of Planning, Department of Health, Office of Fire and Emergency Services, and Drainage Agency.
Field inspections are then done, and each property is scored using a point system based on their attributes which include:
Connecting open spaces, preserving environmentally sensitive resources, protecting farms, preserving historic and cultural places, protecting the Hudson River, promoting opportunities for recreation, protecting rivers and streams, and protecting the watershed.
When myself the County Legislature revived the Open Space Acquisition Program in 2020 the public nominated 16 properties comprised of 23 lots that were than narrowed down to 6 recommended for purchase to my office which ultimately decided to pursue purchasing the top four rated properties, encompassing 6 lots, including the Pomona and New City properties.
The announcement was made at Haverstraw Bay Park which was the very first property purchased by the County of Rockland for this program back in 1999 as a bicentennial gift to residents. For that reason, we couldn’t think of a better setting to publicize the very first properties purchased since the County revived the program.
This park underscores the importance of the program and the value it brings to those calling this County home.
As for the other 3 properties we are working to purchase, I’m hopeful they will be closed on by the end of this year, adding an additional 24 acres to the Open Space Acquisition Program.
The addition of these properties to the already extensive Rockland County park system is a fantastic way to recognize and close out the month of April which is Earth Month.
I truly appreciate the partnership of the County Legislature and private citizens preserving this land and making Rockland a greener and more sustainable County and look forward to sharing more progress on this front in the coming months.
