Clarkstown Land Swap Would Get Long Path Hikers Off Route 9W

NEW CITY, NY — A proposal to build senior housing on Route 304 in New City is tied to a plan for Clarkstown to acquire 7.7 acres of open space on West Hook Mountain, and hikers of the Long Path Trail would benefit.

The Vanderbilt Grande project would create a senior housing development near Town Hall under the town's floating Active Adult Residence zoning overlay.

That zoning requires developers either set aside land for recreational use or pay $4,000 per unit to Clarkstown's land trust.

Instead of giving the town $400,000 for Vanderbilt Grande, the developer suggested instead trading a large parcel of land on Route 9W, the Rockland County Business Journal reported. Because it is assessed at $525,000, the town would pay the difference of $125,000. The Planning Board voted unanimously to accept the plan, the RCBJ reported.

The Town Board is set to vote on it Tuesday. Resolution 15 on the agenda would authorize "the Town to Purchase Property Located at 656 North Route 9W, Valley Cottage, NY for Use as Parklands."

The Long Path Trail extends 358 miles from New York City to north of Albany. The New York/New Jersey Trails Conference calls the Long Path "a thread connecting many of New York's parks, preserves, and state forest land."

About the part of the Long Path Trail through Rockland County, the NY/NJTC says "Much of the route is through State Parks but the trail also serves as a link to smaller county and town parks. There is some road walking through the towns of Piermont and Upper Nyack. There are extensive views of the lower Hudson River valley along the way, with the most dramatic views on Hook Mountain and High Tor."

It's that road walking that's at stake: hikers now must walk on Christian Herald Road and Route 9W.

The Vanderbilt Grande project is on five acres on the east side of Route 304, about 460 feet south of Congers Road in New City. According to the application by Senior Housing Associates of Westchester, Inc., the project consists of 100 two-bedroom dwelling units in four 4-story buildings and a community building with 250 parking spaces.

The Clarkstown Planning Board held a public hearing Aug. 16 on the project, which has received variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals.