Attention Palisades Residents

It’s beyond belief the number of issues that are currently circling around Palisades. As we know from experience, issues that get raised can take years to come to fruition, so it’s easy to lose track of whether a project is still in the works or not. Well, here’s the latest…. Please stay involved.

HNA: The owners of the HNA property, Atlantic Realty Development, presented their plan to the Town Board in June: 288 three-story townhouses (3,300 sq. ft. each) with garages and elevators and 52 condos (totaling 342 residences) plus an event venue for 600 guests. Residents from Palisades and neighboring hamlets filled Town Hall to listen and share their concerns. It was unanimous, 342 is too many units, too much traffic, too much destruction of the natural landscape and a development unbefitting the hamlet of Palisades. Following the meeting, Atlantic met with the Palisades Action Group, Rockland Country Club and the American Legion. As a result, the event venue was scrapped, townhouses were spread out in its place and the setbacks on all sides were increased. We asked for fewer units, diversity of architecture and more mixed use: single-family, townhouses, condos and senior residences. Atlantic, however, was not agreeable to this. The next step will be for Atlantic to submit an application to the Town Board for a zone change. It is critical for Palisades and surrounding communities to show up to all town meetings. To join the email list, email Palisadesactiongroup@gmail.com.

The Esplanade: At a January Town Board meeting, representatives of the Esplanade, the senior residence on Oak Tree Road, presented a plan out of the blue to build 52 single-family, ranch-style townhouses for people over 55. A month later, Esplanade held an on-site informational meeting. The Amber Court franchise, which purchased the property in 2025, maintained that this plan is an attempt to save the struggling 22-acre property. Zoned R-40, it will require a zone change. Fifty-two residences and the proposed 342 at HNA would create 400 new residences. Palisades has only 513 homes. Date for a formal application to the Town Board for a zone change has not been set.

Red Owl Academy: We bid a sad farewell to the Red Owl Academy, which was housed in the little brick schoolhouse at 680 Oak Tree Road. The building, owned by the South Orangetown Central School District, will remain empty this school year while they prepare for a Universal Pre-Kindergarten for the 2027-2028 school year. Superintendent Culot mentioned that there may be plans to create a playground for community use, as there was decades ago. Fortunately, the building is not for sale.

Rockland Coaches Commuter Park and Ride on Rte 340: Since 2014, Sparkill businesses and residents have complained that bus commuters parking their cars in Depot Square leave no spaces for shoppers. On May 5, 2021, the Orangetown Highway Department held a public informational meeting on Rte 340 to discuss the proposal of a new parking lot. The idea of building a 44-car Park and Ride on Rte 340 seemed a great solution but not to the 100 residents who attended the meeting. Complaints included the clear-cutting of trees; extreme flooding on Rte 340; this is a residential neighborhood; congestion from “out-of-town” commuters; no bus route exists on Rte 340; Palisades ridership is very low, therefore, this lot is unnecessary and would only benefit commuters from other communities. Nevertheless, on April 26, 2022, the Town Board approved the resolution for “project PIN 8TRM73” to move forward on the .63 acre property to be leased from the American Legion Hall, for a minimum of 20 years. At press time, a start date has not been set.

Data Centers: Orangetown for some reason is a hub for data centers. There are six clustered in nearby Orangeburg, but the one attracting the most backlash is DataBank’s Phase II, which straddles the borders of NY and NJ on Lake Tappan. In 2024, the Rockland County Planning Board unanimously disapproved DataBank’s Phase II plan. DataBank then returned with a new design and for months residents have been attending Orangetown Planning Board meetings in droves to speak against it. Across the country, residents are standing against the proliferation of data centers in their communities, for numerous reasons such as stress on the energy grid, higher energy fees passed on to homeowners, enormous volumes of water needed to cool the servers, sound pollution and negative impact on the environment. In July, Governor Hochul announced the first statewide moratorium in the nation on data centers using 50+ megawatts for one year. In June, Orangetown Supervisor Kenny proposed a moratorium in Orangetown to cover centers less than 50 megawatts, but it was quickly apparent that this had no teeth regarding DataBank Phase II, since it had already passed on to a ruling by the Planning Board. In a recent study by Reinvent Albany, the Rockland County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) and New York Power Authority (NYPA) has given $321 million in sales tax exemptions as well as power subsidies to five data center sites in Rockland County since 2013. Visit www.datacentercrisis.org.

Rockland Riverway: In the works since 2023, a 21-mile hiking and biking path beginning in Palisades and ending at Bear Mountain is proposed, crossing through 10 municipalities. In September, the final design was announced. To learn more, visit https://www.rockland-riverwaytrail.com/

Flock Cameras: The controversial Flock surveillance cameras that have caused a stir nationwide have come to our neighborhood. Different than speed cameras, they automatically read license plates to catch stolen cars, intercept theft rings and locate violent suspects entering and leaving state borders. There are a few in our area, some near the NY/NJ border where interstate law enforcement uses the ALR (automatic license readers) to follow criminal suspects across state lines. To see a map of their locations, visit the Deflock website and enter your zip code.

Cell Tower: In July 2025, Homeland Towers and Verizon Wireless appeared before the Zoning Board of Appeals for approval to install a 120-foot monopole cell tower at Lamont-Doherty. Owned by Verizon, it will also add other servers. Over a dozen neighbors testified to the abysmal cell service in Palisades and how critical it is to have improved cell service for safety. Lamont reports they still don’t have formal approval from the FCC, but that they are moving forward with contractor bids in anticipation of starting construction in the fall.