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Sterling Forest Developer Renews Battle - 17 July, 2005
By RICHARD COWEN
STAFF WRITER
The Record
TUXEDO, N.Y. - The battle over development of Sterling Forest - bordering
North Jersey's prime water supply region - is set to resume Monday at Town
Hall. And once again, the timber rattlesnake is expected to take center
stage.
Three years ago, developer Sterling Forest Corp. wanted to build an 18-hole
golf course and 103 luxury homes on a 575-acre tract off Interstate 84. But
the plan went nowhere after the New York Department of Conservation ruled
that the golf course would destroy the habitat of the timber rattlesnake,
which is on a state list of endangered species.
Now, Sterling Forest Corp. is back before the Tuxedo Town Board with another
plan for the same 575-acre site that eliminates the golf course, but
includes 107 single-family homes. The hearing is being called to assess the
environmental impact of the project.
Developer Lou Heimbach said the new plan proposes to build homes in an area
north of Interstate 84, where the company maintains there are no rattlesnake
dens. The land where the golf course was to be built will be left
undeveloped, he said.
"We've spent three years studying this," Heimbach said. "There are no
rattlesnakes" in the area where housing is proposed.
Environmentalists have once again lined up against the project. They point
to the fact that the 575-acre site sits in the middle of Sterling Forest
State Park - and say that besides destroying habitat, a massive housing
development would cause more traffic and congestion, which ultimately could
be harmful to the water supply.
The Wanaque Reservoir in Ringwood is just south of the site. And more than
$78 million was spent to purchase 20,000 acres to create Sterling Forest
State Park Preserve in the heart of the Highlands. Most of that money came
from state and federal taxes - New Jersey kicked in $19.2 million - in
combination with some private funding from land trusts and other sources.
"New Jersey residents should care about what's going on across the border
because it could affect their drinking water," said Sue Scher of the
Sterling Forest Partnership, a non-profit preservation group.
Environmentalists have clashed with developers for decades over Sterling
Forest. Over the years, the federal and state governments have combined to
spend $78 million to buy up more than 20,000 acres of Sterling Forest to
preserve it.
Monday's hearing begins at 7:30 p.m. at Tuxedo Town Hall, 1 Temple Drive.
E-mail: cowen@northjersey.com
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