Rockland County Preserves Open Space On South Mountain Road

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Two more parcels have been purchased to be preserved under the County’s Open Space Acquisition Program.

The county purchased 176 and 180 South Mountain Road in New City, preserving another 14 acres from development. The newly acquired park will be preserved as open space, with the potential to add hiking trails in the future, Rockland County Executive Ed Day and Rockland County Legislature Chairman Jay Hood Jr. said in the announcement.

"We're very pleased that the County is taking bold action to preserve open space and save significant parcels of land from development, in Clarkstown and throughout Rockland County," resident Laura Bidon told Patch on behalf of CUPON Clarkstown. "South Mountain Road, in particular, has a rich history that must be preserved. We hope to see more land throughout the County purchased under the Open Space Acquisition Program, so that Rockland's legacy can be preserved and enjoyed for generations to come."

The area was home to the Munsee Lenape and then to Dutch farmers, before it became a noted artists' enclave. The Historical Society of Rockland County had an exhibit on "Influencers: Art and History on South Mountain Road" in 2019 in collaboration with the Rockland Center for the Arts.

The county's open-space program was revived in 2020 and the first purchase made in 2023. SEE: Rockland County Revives Land Preservation Program With Purchases

“This purchase is in addition to 25 acres of land protected in 2023,” Day said Monday. “With more funding now added to our Open Space Acquisition Program we can guarantee that acreage will increase.”

In total, 16 properties consisting of 23 lots were nominated. Of those, six were recommended for acquisition by the committee with the county ultimately deciding to acquire the four that were top-rated.

There is one more property expected to be purchased in the last round of Open Space Acquisition nominations, totaling another 10 acres saved. That is not including the latest nomination round, which kicked off in 2023.

All properties nominated are vetted by the Open Space Advisory Committee made up of representatives from the Division of Environmental Resources, Department of Planning, Department of Health, and the Finance Department’s Tax Enforcement Unit. Field inspections are then performed, 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
• protecting the watershed

Once scored, the top-rated properties were presented to the County Executive’s team to review and decide which parcels to purchase based on the Advisory Committee ratings.

“It’s thrilling to use funds in such a way that it really gives back to the people, and we are excited to save even more property from development for our residents,” Hood said Monday.

In 2023, the county executive pointed out that in 1950, hundreds of farms in Rockland sprawled across more than 17,000 acres. "Today things have changed," Day said then. "We have a handful left with 400 acres. And only 4 percent of that land remains to be developed or protected."