Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano and County Legislators Lois Bronz and Tom Abinanti say that county government must move to help finance the acquisition of the property in order to protect one of the largest open space parcels in Southern Westchester County.

"As we have done with the Gaisman property in Greenburgh, Hilltop Hanover in Yorktown and Davids Island in New Rochelle, we will work in partnership with local government, the state and others to preserve this environmentally sensitive property for future generations," Spano says. "This is an especially important piece of land because it is one of the last really large parcels in what is a mostly developed area of the county. We should not miss out on an opportunity to save this property from development."

The property, which county officials claim is a "haven for amphibian, reptile and dozens of species of birds," is on Taxter Road, bordered by Route 9 and owned by the Unification Church.

The Trust for Public Land and the Westchester Land Trust have taken an option on the property through the middle of 2002, but area residents, who have so far raised more than $25,000 to help preserve the property, fear that it will be developed if a permanent arrangement is not negotiated soon, county officials say.

"Preserving Taxter Ridge is crucial to the continued environmental health of Greenburgh and all of mid-Westchester, adds County Legislator Abinanti. Development on the Taxter Ridge site would also add to the traffic woes on the already "overwhelmed" Route 119-Route 9A intersection, he charges.

While no purchase price has been released for the property, Spano notes he is hopeful an agreement can be negotiated in a similar fashion as previous open space preservation deals that have closed recently in Westchester County.

Instant Insights /

County Looks to Preserve Greenburgh Open Space

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