Long Path in Clarkstown to expand as part of land-swap deal with developer
The historic Long Path hiking system will again expand in Clarkstown as part of a land swap with a developer building high-end senior housing near Town Hall.
The Town Board-approved purchase on Tuesday night would add 7.7 acres designated for parkland on Route 9W in Valley Cottage on West Hook Mountain. The swap compensates the town for a $400,000 fee for the proposed Vanderbilt Grande senior housing along Route 304. Since the wooded acreage is assessed at $525,000, officials said, the town will pay the difference to the developers.
Clarkstown Supervisor George Hoehmann said the deal is a win for town efforts to preserve land from development and expand the statewide hiking system in town.
Hoehmann said the Clarkstown-based real estate developers, Jeff and Stuart Weinberger of Senior Housing Associates of Westchester Inc., have been planning the 100-unit housing development since 2008, when they first got Planning Board approval. The Weinbergers have built similar luxury housing for people 55 and older with businesses in Washington Township, New Jersey, he said.
The Long Path keyed the deal. The Vanderbilt Grande project lacked sufficient land for parks and recreation so the developers offered the land swap to meet requirements. The developers would have been required to pay $4,000 per unit in lieu of land.
Hoehmann said the town went with the land, a proposition approved by the Planning Board.
"We are delighted to preserve more land and expand the Long Path," Hoehmann said. "We've been working on this off and on for years. The Long Path is part of the Appalachian Trail system. This addition will keep hikers off the public road, Christian Herald Road."
Long Path expanded and connected in Rockland
This would not be the first land connection with the Long Path in Clarkstown. 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."
Long Path: Upper Nyack Trail adds to the beauty for hikers and nature lovers in the Hudson Valley.
In 2022, the Trail Conference and Clarkstown officials collaborated to add a 1.5-mile swath of woods connecting the River Trail at Nyack Beach to the Long Path and Hook Mountain. The 30-acre parcel on which it is located also touches Rockland Lake State Park.
The 30 acres were purchased $3.1 million agreement by The Trust for Public Land from the Marydell Faith and Life Center at the north end of Midland Avenue in Upper Nyack.
Clarkstown buys properties
The town has spent money to preserve 50 acres, including the Marydell property, and the former and spending $235,000 for 4.3 acres to prevent development by the Malankara Church land on Mountainview Road. The 4.3 acres became nature trails that connected the Long Path and Mountainview Nature Park.
The town also bought the 3 acres with Grace Baptist Church in Nanuet for $4.55 million and is seeking cost proposals to demolish the 150-year-old building for local parking and other amenities.
The church property became a controversial issue when an Orthodox Jewish school tried buying the property, meeting opposition from some local residents and the town. A state justice dismissed the school's legal action claiming Clarkstown violated its constitutional rights by denying permits for the property.
Clarkstown also spent $4.4 million to buy the Rockland Country Day School.
Vanderbilt Grande takes down historic railroad station remnants
While the Weinbergers originally got Planning Board approvals for the senior housing in 2008, the economic crash delayed the development, Hoehmann said. The developers have since got re-approvals.
The Vanderbilt Grande project will demolish the remnants of the historic New City train station building. The tracks have long been gone and efforts were made to retain the historic remains, Hoehmann said.
What's left of the train station has been found to be structurally unsound, he said.
The senior housing rental development will include four buildings, with three of the structures having 26 apartments and 22 units in the fourth building. Officials said the development will include a community room, a pool, and 250 parking in garages.
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com. Twitter: @lohudlegal.
Read more articles and bio. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Long Path hiking system to expand in Clarkstown in land swap
