An unprecedented expanse of habitat-rich forests and wetlands surrounding the Valeria community in Cortlandt has been protected forever by conservation easements, thanks to an agreement between AVR Homebuilders and Westchester Land Trust and its Cortlandt Land Trust chapter, in conjunction with the Town of Cortlandt and Valeria’s Dickerson Pond Association.
This easement is the largest conservation easement ever in the county – totaling 655 acres, representing conservation of more than 90 percent of the entire community.
This historic conservation project preserved one of the last, large unprotected and undeveloped tracts in Westchester County. Equally significant, the easement is the largest conservation easement ever in the county – totaling 655 acres, representing conservation of more than 90 percent of the entire community.
The Valeria easements were granted to the Westchester Land Trust by AVR Homebuilders, a progressive, environmentally-sensitive Yonkers-based development company. AVR received approval from the Town of Cortlandt to build a 147-unit cluster subdivision to complement the existing 80-unit Valeria development, bringing the entire Valeria community to 227 homes. The Valeria property had originally been approved in the 1980s for 535 new homes, but commensurate with the desire to protect this environmentally sensitive land, the decision was made to reduce the overall density to only 227 homes, greatly enhancing the value of the community for all its residents.
The protected land stretches across a landscape that is virtually unrivalled in Westchester for its beauty and environmental qualities. It includes the 43-acre Dickerson Pond and the 740-foot Dickerson Mountain. A deciduous forest climbs unbroken from the shores of the lake to the top of the mountain, encompassing rocky outcrops, rolling hills, and numerous brooks, vernal pools and swamps. By protecting the land, the project’s partners are protecting critical watershed lands, wildlife habitat and scenic vistas.
Another environmental precedent involves a comprehensive relocation and habitat management plan for a colony of box turtles, a state species of special concern, which occupied a portion of the land being developed. AVR has entered into a 10 year Box Turtle Management Plan with the Town of Cortlandt to recreate box turtle habitat and to monitor them under the supervision of local herpetologists after they have been relocated into their new habitat.
“Having recognized that the Valeria land is so environmentally rich, and as an industry leader in employing green building techniques and practices, we felt it was critical to factor the unique characteristics of this property into our development plan in an effort to preserve the land’s natural resources and habitats,” said Mark Eickelbeck, Executive VP, AVR Homebuilders. “It was important for our company to be proactive in taking the first step to underscore our commitment to the environment. We carry this same philosophy through to our homes, which will be built to meet New York State Energy Star standards for energy conservation as well as qualify for the new LEED for Homes certification from the US Green Building Council.”
“I am very pleased and proud to be a part of one of the largest land conservation and preservation projects ever in our County and region. It is located at Valeria in the Town of Cortlandt. It will total a preservation of 655 acres and will also protect the environment and ecology of the area,” said Linda Puglisi, the Town of Cortlandt Supervisor, at the time of the donation. “I know that the Westchester and Cortlandt Land Trusts will be excellent stewards of this land and Cortlandt is delighted to have 46 acres near Sniffen Mountain Road transferred to its Open Space inventory.
The easements protect a key swath of New York City’s Croton Watershed, an area identified as part of a critical plant and wildlife habitat, and Dickerson Mountain, one of northwestern Westchester’s highest and most prominent points. The conservation easements mean that the land will be permanently protected from development. There is no public access on the Valeria conservation easements owned by the homeowners associations.
The area was highlighted as a “biodiversity hub” in the Croton-to-Highlands Biodiversity study, completed in 2004 by the Wildlife Conservation Society/Metropolitan Conservation Alliance. Bobcats, loons, beaver, box turtles and musk turtles, among many other species, can all be found on the property. Equally important is the property’s connection or proximity to other protected open space in the area, including New York City watershed lands, and Westchester County’s Blue Mountain Reservation and Briarcliff-Peekskill Trailway. Almost half the property drains into the Croton Reservoir, and the remainder feeds Furnace Brook and eventually the Hudson River.
