Ramapo/Lorterdan: Letters to the Editor
Needed!
The latest Trail Walker's cover story, "Ramapo
Watershed Green Space: Going, Going, Gone," details the
challenges we face in NY's Ramapo River Watershed.
Last Tuesday, September 13, over fifty NY/NJ Trail
Conference and Sierra Club members attended the
Ramapo Planning Board hearing on the 292-unit Lorterdan
development on the edge of Sterling Forest, Ringwood &
Harriman state parks. Read the original alert and an update of
the hearing:
We are asking folks to keep the
momentum going by writing letters to the editor. In
addition, please continue calling and e-mailing the Ramapo
Planning Board and Ramapo Town Board and Supervisor Chris St.
Lawrence. Read on!
The Journal News published an article
(9/17), "Vote delayed on 300-home Ramapo
subdivision," (text below). It is not particularly
hard-hitting nor does it really deal with the substantive
issues. It appears from the Town's quotes that their
argument will be, "it's too late to stop."
We need to focus on the Town's complicity in
visually polluting the surrounding public's lands, and change
the discussion to the need for the Town to decrease the
density and move the development off the
ridgetop.
It's really important at this point to take our
argument to the public between now and the Oct. 11
meeting.
So, please, respond to the article with a
letter to the Journal News editor (letters@thejournalnews.com).
Important points to make are:
* At every step of the way, the Town has not
heeded repeated warnings of the impact this would
have on the fragile public lands surrounding the project.
* The Town required the developer to develop on
the ridgetop away from the road, thereby making it
visible from publicly protected wilderness parks for miles
around instead of confining the visual impact to the
immediate surroundings.
* The Town greatly increased the impact by
changing the zoning from R80 (1 unit per 2-acres)
to active adult housing. It would have been much better to
keep it at R80 and allow a cluster development which would
have meant half as many units, or less.
* The public has spent many millions
(+$100) to protect these parks for the public enjoyment only
to have them subjected to this eyesore by the Town of
Ramapo.
And, whatever else irks you ...
Vote delayed on 300-home Ramapo
subdivision
By SULAIMAN BEG
THE JOURNAL
NEWS
(Original Publication: September 17, 2005)
RAMAPO -- A town Planning Board vote on final site-plan
approval for a nearly 300-home senior-citizen development is
expected next month. The board opted early Wednesday morning
to reserve a decision until its Oct. 11 meeting for the
development on 249 acres off Sterling Mine Road in the Ramapo
Mountains near Sloatsburg.
The development has raised concerns from some nearby
residents and hikers seeking to connect trails between New
York and New Jersey.
"This is the final stage," said First Deputy Town Attorney
Alan Berman. "This is the final approval they need."
Lorterdan Properties, a Montclair, N.J., development
company, has proposed a triangle of four developments,
including the senior-citizen housing development, in Rockland
and Orange counties, close to Sloatsburg. The sites total more
than 1,800 potential housing units.
The Planning Board granted preliminary approval in July.
The subdivision of homes would have sale prices of $500,000
and more.
"This is not going to be a good thing," said Edward
Goodell, executive director of the New York-New Jersey Trail
Conference. "It's a bad idea and bad planning."
During previous sessions - the project has been discussed
for at least four years - Goodell and residents have raised
concerns over issues ranging from drainage to traffic to the
development's impact on wetlands.
Goodell said he would like to the project's density to be
decreased as well its location changed so as not to impact the
natural surrounding.
The focus of the trail conference, which has more than 700
members in Rockland and Orange counties, is to preserve the
view of the Ramapo Mountains ridgeline and woodlands.
Ultimately, the group, whose volunteers maintain 1,600
miles of trails in New York and New Jersey, wants to link
hiking routes between the two states.
Goodell said the development went against the town's
Comprehensive Plan for Development, which aims to preserve
open space and scenic and environmental resources.
"The town of Ramapo has decided to develop a rather large
piece of property adjacent and in the middle of three state
parks and two county parks," he said.
Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence said the Lorterdan
development would leave 42 acres untouched, as recommended by
the Community Design Review Committee, which advises the
Planning Board.
Much of that property is wetlands; one wetland drains into
Nakoma Brook.
The stream passes near a proposed shopping center off Route
17 in Sloatsburg.
Two other wetlands drain onto the Pierson Lakes property at
Cranberry Lake.
St. Lawrence said the project would not be seen from the
road because adequate buffers would be placed between the
roadway and the site.
"This project has been going on for many years," he said.
What Can I Do?
* Write a Letter to the Editor
- Respond to the article: The Journal News - letters@thejournalnews.com
- Orange County folks should also send
letters to the Times Herald-Record - http://www.recordonline.com/opinion/letter.html
- New Jersey folks should send letters
to The Record - letterstotheeditor@northjersey.com and
Mahwah Suburban News - suburbannews@northjersey.com
- If you write a letter, please send a copy to
the Trail Conference: schvejda@nynjtc.org
* Call - 845 357-5100
Let's keep the Ramapo Township phones ringing! Tell
Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence it is
unconscionable to put a development on a ridgetop in plain
sight of 3 state parks.
* Send An E-mail
If you haven't already, join over 1,000 individuals and
send an e-mail to Ramapo Township officials by visiting: http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/nyramapo
or send them directly to the Ramapo Planning Board and
Ramapo Town Board and Supervisor Chris St. Lawrence.
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