Public Beach, Apartments Discussed for Quarry in Verplanck
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Cortlandt officials are continuing to receive proposals for a 99-acre parcel in the hamlet of Verplanck that features a scenic quarry that has been illegally used for years by swimmers and divers.
During a Verplanck Quarry Committee meeting March 27 at Town Hall, several new concepts were discussed for use of the land.
One idea being floated by town officials is turning the 33-acre, 300-foot deep quarry into a public swimming hole and beach with a capacity of up to 850 swimmers, although far less are anticipated. The concept plan includes a boardwalk, picnic area, trails and a playground.
Michael Prezioso, Cortlandt’s Director of Technical Services, stressed a key factor in the plan lies in the hands of the Westchester County Department of Health, which will determine if the water quality of the quarry is suitable for public use.
Meanwhile, committee members heard a brief description of three proposals the town received for a portion of the property from 100 requests of expressions of interest.
The proposal with the most cache came from prominent regional builder Ginsburg Development Corporation, which wants to construct 200 apartments. Planning Director Chris Kehoe explained Ginsburg would like to be the “master developer” of the site near the Hudson River, describing the project as being to similar to the Abbey Inn and Spa development in Peekskill.
Another proposal received was for a large scale, public art display, while another outlined a food hall with 12 to 16 restaurants and a test kitchen for budding chefs.
“It’s a mixed bag. I like all three to different degrees,” said George Oros, the town’s economic development consultant.
Kehoe and Oros noted an added benefit of Ginsburg’s proposal is the possibility of them constructing a roadway to the waterfront that has been estimated to cost about $12 million.
“There is a timing issue here,” Kehoe said. “We don’t have the infrastructure yet.”
Supervisor Dr. Richard Becker and Councilman Robert Mayes expressed different opinions on what was presented.
“I’m not sure if we’re sold on any of these,” Becker remarked. “I wasn’t excited, but I’m not disappointed.”
“They are interesting proposals that I think we should consider,” Mayes said. “This is not necessarily something we have to jump on overnight.”
The only project to date that seems to be moving forward is a $14 million, state-of-the-art, indoor sports facility. The so-called “Cortlandt Pitch” project is designed to be a two-story, 58,000 square feet facility on about nine acres of the 99-acre parcel that the town purchased from Con Edison a few years ago.
Besides the indoor facility, NY Indoor Sports will be spending another $1.5 million to build another outdoors field on the property next to existing Letteri Field.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/