Filed Under: Environmental Issues | Westchester | Open Space | Land Use | Open Space

Parks and Open Space

The words ‘open space' encompass many perspectives: wooded hills and windswept beaches, sparkling reservoirs, parks and ball fields, undisturbed natural ecosystems. Westchester County has a unique character that is defined by large areas of woods and water that contrast with its urban and commercial centers.

Protected open space in the County includes parks, nature preserves, cemeteries and school grounds. Unprotected open space includes golf courses and corporate and academic campuses. Today, open space makes up 19% of Westchester County: 21% in Westchester's south County, 29% in the central County, and 31% in the north County.

Rising concerns over vanishing open space have inspired citizens, environmental organizations and local governments to take action. The Town of Greenburgh led the way in 1997 with changes to its zoning code and an increase in property taxes to generate funds for land purchases.

On Earth Day 2000, The Westchester Land Trust organized the Westchester Open Space Alliance to assist more than 20 citizen coalitions in formalizing local government support and funding mechanisms for land preservation. That fall, seven municipalities-Bedford, Irvington, Lewisboro, North Salem, Pound Ridge, Somers and Yorktown-approved open space referenda by wide margins. By 2003, Tarrytown, Cortlandt, New Castle, Ardsley and White Plains also had approved funds for land acquisition. In the 2004 general election, North Castle voters passed a $3 million bond act with a resounding 68% of voters in favor.

Fifteen communities have raised $35 million to preserve open space, with seven having already spent a total of $12.6 million, and the County and state have both increased available matching funds. The County and New York State have been doing their part too, supplementing local money to the tune of $15.5 million in matching funds. Overall, more than 500 acres have been protected in communities such as Bedford Hills, Greenburgh, Irvington, Lewisboro, New Castle, Tarrytown and White Plains. These proactive towns formed citizen advisory boards to inventory available parcels, established criteria for land purchases, and developed priorities for acquisition or protection.

Other local initiatives included drafting master plans and waterfront revitalization plans, revising zoning ordinances, and enacting legislation to protect environmental, cultural and historic resources. Towns are also creating buying partnerships with regional and national environmental organizations, with New York City agencies working to protect watershed lands (see Drinking Water section, and with County and State government agencies.

Regional Initiatives

Scenic Hudson and local land trusts provide leadership and support to local governments for land acquisition and protection. Scenic Hudson has assisted Cortlandt Manor, Irvington, Peekskill, Verplanck and Yonkers. In a joint purchase with Westchester County, the Open Space Institute bought 41 acres in Greenburgh that provides access to the North County Trailway network.

The Westchester Land Trust has protected nearly 3,000 acres in 24 communities through a combination of conservation easements, land donations, and purchases of land making it the County's largest private land preservation organization in terms of total acres. It has also undertaken to advance "smart growth" and encourage a better balance between preservation and development.

County Initiatives

Although adding open space in the densely populated southern communities is a priority, potential is limited by the scarcity of tracts of undeveloped land. Half the available acreage in the Bronx River Valley and on the Long Island Sound shore has been lost to development; only 70 acres (1%) remain in the Bronx River Valley and 310 acres (2%) near the Sound.

In 1999, Westchester County allocated $25 million for the Westchester County Legacy Program to be spent over five years on land acquisition. These funds supported five acquisitions: Cortlandt Manor, a 353-acre parcel in the Hudson River Highlands; a 180-acre addition to Anthony's Nose at Camp Smith; a 24-acre addition to the Brinton Brook Wildlife Sanctuary; a 10-acre expansion of Croton Gorge Park; and 19 acres at Blue Mountain. Other County acquisitions include: 25 acres in Dobbs Ferry; the 121-acre Gaisman property in Greenburgh; the 21-acre Burke estate in Hastings; 25 acres in the Mianus Gorge; expansion of an athletic field and stadium in Mt. Vernon; 33 acres and a 150-acre golf course in New Castle; 88 acres in New Rochelle; the 26-acre Bellefaire property in Rye Brook; 28 acres of wetlands near the Saw Mill Parkway; a 39-acre parcel connecting historic sites in Lyndhurst and Sunnyside in Tarrytown; 111 acres in Waccabuc; ten acres in White Plains for affordable housing and parks; and 187 acres of watershed land plus a 250-acre farm in Yorktown Heights.

In 2001, the County doubled the funding of the Westchester County Legacy Program to $50 million dollars for spending between 2002 and 2007. In 2005 part of this money was used towards the purchase of one of the largest remaining undeveloped parcels in Westchester -- the 654-acre Eagle River property in the Town of Somers. The Eagle River purchase brought the total acreage of properties acquired under the Legacy Program to over 2,000 acres

The County also appointed a Board in 1999 to organize an Agricultural District dedicated to preserving 211 farm operations on nearly 12,000 acres. With the support of the County Executive, who submitted the board's legislation to the state, New York approved Westchester County as an Agricultural District, which allows the County to receive state funding for farmland protection. As defined by the state, eligible districts must be 500 acres or larger. Allowed uses include farms, horse farms, nurseries, greenhouses, potential farming operations, and equestrian centers.

State Initiatives

State government plays a major role in protecting open space by enacting legislation, providing resources for land acquisition or conservation easements, creating financial incentives to stimulate "smart growth," and allocating adequate funding to maintain state parklands. The State also plays a key role carrying out the 1997 Watershed Protection Agreement designed to protect New York City water supplies (see Drinking Water section). New York State also contributed funds toward the purchase of the 353-acre parcel at the gateway to the Hudson Highlands in Cortlandt Manor and towards the Eagle River property in Somers. The State Legislature can also empower local governments to assume new taxing powers.