Danish Home Sale To Gurdjieff Foundation Creeps Closer

CORTLANDT, NY — The former Danish Home for the Aged, closed after 75 years, is a little closer to being able to close its sale to the Gurdjieff Foundation of New York.

The old folks home had only a few dozen residents, and by the end of the pandemic it was no longer viable. The 50-acre property is in a quiet, rural part of Westchester County where Cortlandt, Ossining and New Castle meet. It is zoned for single-family residences, a house of worship or a school.

The sale has been pending as the foundation's request for a required special use permit in a residential area has been before the town Planning Board with wary neighbors scrutinizing the proposal.

A public hearing that opened in December closed Tuesday after planning board members heard from the foundation about its updated proposals and a few neighbors encouraged the board to approve the permit.

Michelle Myard of Quaker Bridge Road East said foundation officials sought to understand and appreciate the wishes and desires of the community, and the changes to their plan showed that.

"We value green spaces, dark sky, clean air, and wildlife. I don’t think they necessarily knew how passionate we could be," she said. "We share a full 860 feet of property line and we strongly support the sale of the Danish Home to the Gurdjieff Foundation."

Among the modifications were limits on larger gatherings and plans to bring people to and from events with buses and carpools to minimize the number of cars on the surrounding roads.

On behalf of the foundation, Matt Steinberg from DTS Provident also described meetings between the foundation and various local organizations including Teatown, the nearby nature reserve. They've struck a deal allowing the organizations on the property up to twice a month in groups of not more than 20, to satisfy the public access part of the special permit.

No neighbors appeared in opposition, as they had at the December meeting. They have been very concerned about traffic, as big changes have been happening in an area of narrow, winding roads.

In December, Karen Wells of Applebee Farm Road pointed out that traffic from the expanding Sunshine Home for children is coming, and if the upscale addiction center proposed for the long empty Hudson Institute property is approved, that will add more traffic. Teatown continues to add land, but also add programs. "I am concerned about overlapping timeframes, overlapping days, to the point where what is now a quiet community, in three years could have substantially more traffic without any of us thinking about where those overlaps are," she said.

Given the opposition, Danish Home's executive director, a 35-year-resident of Cortlandt, told the board that his board was worried the sale would fall through if it was delayed much longer.

Eric Andersen pointed out that the town's senior services program was set to be the largest beneficiary of the sale, but that what initially had been almost a $1 million gift was shrinking due to the Danish Home's continued expenses.

"The Danish Home Board has fulfilled its obligation to the community and attempted to preserve our 120-year legacy by choosing a responsible buyer and accommodating numerous delays. We’re approaching expiry of the fifth purchase contract extension with the Foundation," he said. "We know that based on the remarkable concessions agreed to with a motivated neighbor coalition, they are still anxious to obtain the property. And we are past due to leave the property, then dissolve our charity. To those who counsel be patient a little while longer, our recent five-and-a-half-year cell tower ordeal with some of the same advocates involved here doesn’t encourage any sense that being so close is actually close to any conclusion. And those delays are a direct expense to you and I as taxpayers."

The board instructed staff to prepare a resolution approving the special use for them to vote on in February.