Tuxedo Farms developer pitches Sloatsburg shopping center

SLOATSBURG - The builders behind Tuxedo Farms are pitching a shopping center that would extend the border of the huge development into Rockland County.

New York City-based developer Related Companies has presented plans to build 63,900-square-feet of supermarket and retail space and about 320 parking spaces off Route 17. That would make Sloatsburg the southern entrance of the 1,195-unit project on 1,200 acres taking shape in neighboring Tuxedo.

Next Tuesday, the Planning Board will weigh a request from Related for a zone change for the property.

Mayor Carl Wright said the village was just beginning the approval process.

"People want more shopping," Wright told The Journal News. "It may be this little shopping mall, or another one. We'll see. Right now it's before the planning board."

The 7.1-acre property sits across from the Ramapo River and is considered part of the watershed.

Geoff Welch, the Ramapo Watershed Keeper, visited the site over weekend. He expressed concern that development may mar the natural jewel that is the corridor between Sterling Forest and Harriman state parks.

"I hate to see a nice, rocky outcropping blasted away for a flat parking lot with some stores," he said.

Tuxedo Farms was first proposed in 1989. It's been a decade since Sloatsburg allowed the developer to build the private Quail Road linking it to Route 17 for for $1 million.

For almost as long, residents and local environmentalists have expressed concern over project's size, impact and the traffic it will bring.

"It seems like there's no end to it," complained John Kwasnicki, a Sloatsburg resident.

Related envisions a mix of rentals and homes across the border selling from $450,000 to $1.5 million. In addition to cottages, townhouses, manors and estates, Tuxedo Farms would also feature a YMCA, a grocery store, a village green, parks and playgrounds.

A spokesperson for the developer did not return a message seeking comment on the Sloatsburg proposal.

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