Central Nyack Community members call for Clarkstown to purchase the empty lot on Dickinson Avenue to create a park and community garden.

10 Dickinson Avenue, nearly a half acre of land, has recently been put on the market. This open green space in the heart of our community was used as a farm in the past, providing a home to cows, chickens, and rabbits and serves as a remaining remnant of our county’s agricultural past.

The property slopes down to a stream and spring and the surrounding vegetation provides a buffer to community, which prevents flooding and erosion during storms and inclement weather, stabilizing and protecting the area. The stream is part the Hudson River watershed  and protecting these waterways is an important part of protecting our environment. The area also acts as a carbon sink, cooling the area and combating climate change.

The property faces the entrance to Nyack schools administration building and is on the route that many children take on their walk home from the middle school. It is about a block away from the Nyack housing authority’s low income and handicapped housing. A park in this location would provide much-needed green space for underserved and economically challenged community. People at the Housing authority may not plant their own gardens and this would allow folks to have a bit of green space to cultivate or just a peaceful park to relax in. Unlike many other towns in Clarkstown, Central Nyack does not have a park or a community playground. The land is also quite close to the Long Path and as such could provide a stopping point for hikers on that route.

The Central Nyack Green Group and Central Nyack community members support the initiative for this park. Many community members are already involved with planting on a sliver of land on the south edge of the Nyack Housing Authority. The community has planted native plants to support pollinators and birds whose populations have dropped precipitously in recent years. We understand that even local efforts such as ours can help provide a web of sustenance that nurtures wildlife, supports ecosystems, and maintains life on earth as we know it. The community has done amazing things with such a little strip of land and we know that the park on Dickinson has way more potential.

A number of local groups, including the Girl Scouts, a Rockland County garden group, the Home Depot, and local church groups and many, many residents have devoted their funds and efforts to rehabilitating and planting that little stretch of land near the Housing authority. Our community is mobilized and motivated, and we know that preserving green space is one of the most crucial steps we can take in supporting the well-being of our community and contributing to the resilience of our neighborhoods. This park would be a great asset to our community and we believe that in partnership with the town we can create an open space that is a gem of Clarkstown.

It is important for Clarkstown to act now and purchase the property. Local entities have recently attempted to build high density housing in the area and this lot could be subdivided. Attempting to pipe and restrict water flow through this area would disturb the waterway and could create issues with runoff, flooding, and erosion. We know that Clarkstown has funds earmarked for green space preservation and we believe that the park on Dickinson should be at the top of the list to receive such funding. 

The below article describes the kinds of funding sources that might be used in Rockland for preserving green spaces like our proposed park on Dickinson: https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/2022/12/15/rockland-trail-21-mile-nature-path-federal-stimulus-funds/69708745007/?utm_source=pwes-dailybriefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_briefing&utm_term=Content%20List%20-%20Stacking%20-%20optimized&utm_content=1084WT-E-NLETTER65