Opinion — Before You Judge the Paramount Proposal, Consider All the Facts
By now, many have heard or read about the proposed residential project on a portion of the Paramount Country Club property. Knowing the facts will enable everyone to make an informed decision about the merits of this development.
At its core, the proposal has four objectives:
- create new housing that addresses a local need
- generate millions of dollars in additional annual tax revenue for Clarkstown
- permanently protect open space without requiring town investment
- secure Paramount Country Club for the long term as a large employer, a recreational and social option for community members who want to join, and a venue for special events
Whether residents ultimately support or oppose the proposal, these are the goals that should frame the discussion.
Club Background
Paramount Country Club consists of 217 acres, one of the largest parcels of land in Rockland County. The Club is a major local employer, with approximately 120 employees, and offers golf, tennis, pickleball, swimming, and dining. It also serves as a popular event venue for business meetings, nonprofit golf outings and events, weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, birthdays, and other celebrations. The owners are a fourth-generation real estate family that has owned and managed commercial and residential properties across the region for decades. Since purchasing Dellwood Country Club in 2007, they have invested millions to improve the club, demonstrating a long-term commitment to ownership and high-quality amenities. Despite receiving multiple offers to purchase the property over the years, the family has focused on enhancing the club and is now pursuing a smart residential development on a small portion of the property.
Overall Goals
The goals of the development are to build needed housing, preserve the club, and further improve the amenities offered. . The cost of the townhomes, villas and condos will be competitive upon completion. It is anticipated that the development will attract empty nesters who want to remain in Clarkstown and Rockland County but want to downsize and enjoy resort-style amenities, as well as younger families who may find it an attractive entry into the community.
Needed Housing
It is a known fact that Rockland lacks sufficient housing options and therefore many lifelong residents move out of the county to nearby Bergen and Westchester, to communities like Edgewood Country Club in River Vale, taking their tax dollars, spending power, and community involvement with them. Paramount’s new housing will provide an alternative in Rockland, enabling long-standing residents to remain when they are ready to downsize.
School Taxes
Because the proposed development is likely to be more desirable to empty nesters and seniors, there will be little impact on school enrollment; however, Clarkstown schools will benefit from increased taxes of approximately $3.85 million per year based on an independent study; a large and essential win for the school system and the town.
Traffic Study
The owners of the property have already completed traffic studies which show little to no impact from the proposed housing development as currently proposed with 230 units. The town has its own traffic experts who reviewed these studies and asked for additional information to confirm the conclusions and ensure the owners help offset any impacts. The owners have also committed to paying for improvements to the roads and infrastructure to minimize the impact of the anticipated small increase in traffic. Additionally, the town could potentially use a portion of the millions of additional tax revenue it receives to make traffic upgrades in critical areas elsewhere in Clarkstown so this development may help improve traffic for the residents of Clarkstown.
Preserving Views
The developers have carefully designed a plan that ensures that current views and vistas are minimally, if at all, impacted by the proposed development. It is worth noting that all of the proposed townhouses and condos are in the interior of the parcels so that the existing houses adjacent to Paramount will continue to border green space. The goal is to ensure that the community is beautifully designed, whether you are looking outward or looking inward from the neighboring community. As the owners intend to hold on to the property once the development is completed, it is in their best interest to ensure it remains beautiful. It is a long-term investment, not an opportunity to build and flip.
Open Space
This entire development focuses on approximately 36 acres of vacant land adjacent to the existing golf course. That means less than 17% of the parcel will have housing. In addition, the owners have proposed to permanently restrict the majority of the Paramount property through deed restrictions, preserving open space for generations. This accomplishes one of the current administration’s top priorities; however, in a win for the town and taxpayers, it won’t cost the town any money, and the town will take in millions in tax revenue every year as a result.
Smart Development
This is not “overdevelopment” as some have suggested. This is smart, carefully planned development that offers new needed housing, maintains open space in perpetuity at no cost to the town, ensures the continuation of a large employer, secures a popular event venue, and increases the annual tax revenue by over $5,300,000. This is exactly the type of development that should be embraced by residents as it accomplishes many important community goals at once at no cost to the town or to taxpayers.
Listening to Neighbors
Paramount has already hosted several town hall-style meetings for members, neighbors and other community groups where they were invited to share their questions and concerns, and the plans were modified to incorporate the feedback received. Most voiced positive support for the project after fully understanding the facts and the commitment behind the development, including individuals who were initially opposed because they didn’t fully understand the numerous benefits of the project.
Status Update and Zoning Change
The status of the proposal at this time is that several presentations have been made to the Town Planning Board. The Planning Board is not approving the project at this time, it is only reviewing the project to make an advisory recommendation to the Town Board about a possible zoning change. The project does require a zoning change to match the surrounding residential zoning. Rather than build residential housing on the entire property, which has been proposed or accomplished on other large parcels in Rockland, the proposal is to concentrate the development in a small area of the property so the balance can remain as open space indefinitely.
While some will argue that a zoning change would open the doors for similar developments in Clarkstown, that is not how zoning changes are evaluated. Each parcel of land that needs a zoning change must be evaluated on its own merits, including the public benefit of the zone change. Because Paramount houses a golf club and because the owners have voluntarily proposed a deed restriction of a significant portion of the property, this property is unique, and approval of this zoning change does not, and should not, open the floodgates for other approvals. Every application must satisfy its own planning, engineering, environmental, and public benefit standards. Approving one proposal does not automatically establish approval for another with different facts, locations, or impacts. Approvals should be based on facts, engineering, planning, environmental science, and public benefit, not fear and speculation. It is difficult to imagine that there is any other parcel of land where the owners would be willing to make such a substantial dedication of permanent open space as part of an approval process in order to build on a small portion of their land.
Next Steps
The Planning Board and Town Board should ask the developer difficult questions because that’s exactly what the process is designed to do. The owners are ready, willing and able to respond to those questions and adjust plans as necessary to ensure the project meets the needs of the town and the development. Paramount welcomes the opportunity to review and consider any additional requests because they believe in the project and what it means for the sustainability of the club as well as the surrounding neighborhood and Clarkstown as a whole.
And Finally
Knowing that housing continues to be an issue in the county and that older residents are moving out and taking their tax dollars with them is just one reason this development should be seriously considered. The fact that it is being designed for longevity and for the sustainability of the club as well as preserving open space in perpetuity is another. Minimal impact on the school system with an influx of millions of dollars is yet another. And while the property is over 217 acres and could support hundreds of more units than are being requested (the original proposal was already reduced) the developers have been reasonable and are not requesting enhanced density for this project.
While we know there will always be individuals who oppose any type of development, we must remember that our homes wouldn’t exist if development was halted years ago. What we should embrace is smart development; well-thought-out development backed by a family-owned business with integrity and a commitment to ensuring that the property they own remains beautiful, valuable and a benefit to the community in which it exists. The Paramount project will enhance Clarkstown, offering beautiful housing, a country club worth joining, millions in new taxes, improved roads and infrastructure, and open space in perpetuity all without any cost to the town.
It is also important to note turning away a smart development that provides so many benefits to our community could ultimately lead the owners to sell the club to the highest bidder who may have plans that are at odds with the community’s goals. The owners have been great members of the community for nearly 20 years, and we should not force them to walk away and leave the largest privately owned parcel of land to an unknown future.
The communities that thrive are those that embrace smart development, evaluate a proposal based on facts, and embrace a future they help create. Change and development are inevitable, but Clarkstown has a real choice at this moment to choose smart change. This development is a huge win for the community.
For More Information
Everyone is encouraged to visit this website https://paramountandclarkstown.com/ to find answers to many questions as well as view the visuals of the proposed development. If you have questions, we are ready to answer them. Send an email to: paramountccdevelopment@gmail.com.