Town OKs 6-month land use ban

New subdivision, site plans placed on hold

By Zoey McGee | Manor Ink

Town of Rockland, NY – During a public hearing on the Town of Rockland’s Local Law #2 on Thursday, June 6, the town board voted unanimously to review and revise the law.

The town intends to reexamine its present-day Comprehensive Plan, its zoning laws, subdivision laws and several other land use regulations, as there have been changes in developmental patterns, an increased demand for municipal services and a growth in demographic density over the past decade throughout Sullivan County. Rockland’s Comprehensive Plan was last changed four years ago.

In order to review the current laws and plans, the board declared a six-month moratorium imposing limited land use in Rockland. This could also be extended to 12 months if needed. However, the moratorium will not apply to any site plans, special use permits, subdivision or extension, or modification of a nonconforming-use water or sewer connections that have already been approved.

Environmental issues

When asked by a local resident during the public commentary portion of the hearing about the reasoning behind amending Local Law #2, Town Supervisor Rob Eggleton explained that the town is concerned about protecting the environmental quality of Rockland, its lands and its streams.

Related to those concerns is an instance of an attempt to create a new village in the Town of Thompson. In September, a petition signed by a group of 99 persons was sent to the supervisors of that town and to the Town of Fallsburg, requesting the establishment of a municipality called Ateres. Because of a long-outdated law on how villages in the State of New York are created, the supervisors were legally bound to accept the petition.

A question of viability

Ateres would have a total of 834 residents – men, women and children – and would cover one-and-a-half square miles in an area of currently undeveloped Thompson land. It would require water and sewer infrastructure, road improvements and maintenance, and governmental services, all of which would likely be unsupportable by the new village’s tax base. In that case, the town or towns would be required to make up the difference, putting an added strain on their taxpayers and resources.

An additional concern is that the state’s village creation law, first passed in 1874, makes no provision for the environmental impact of a new municipality. The possibility that land and water resources could be negatively impacted by projects that have not been properly vetted according to current environmental standards seems highly likely.

Since December, the proposed village of Ateres has been on hold after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation that raised the minimum number of residents needed to establish a new village.

The Town of Rockland’s review of Local Law #2 will likely address these issues as well as others raised by unsupportable land use projects, site plans or other ill-conceived environmental proposals.