The Jay Heritage Center is accusing the Westchester County government of withholding key information and plans for a possible $11 million “expansion” at the Marshlands Conservancy in Rye, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
The local nonprofit alleges that county officials have repeatedly rebuffed the Jay Center’s requests for information about a proposal that would expand the Marshlands Conservancy Nature Center.
Suzanne Clary, president of the Jay Center, said that her organization is worried about potential adverse ecological and archaeological effects of any development in the Marshlands, which is adjacent to the Jay Center.
The county’s Planning Department issued a decision in April 2024 that the Marshlands site work would not need to go through an environmental review, according to court documents.
Clary said the county has not consulted the Jay Center about the proposal and has dodged requests for information about the project, including Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests.
“For us it’s all about transparency,” Clary told The Record.
Clary first submitted a FOIL request for information about the county’s Marshlands development plans on Jan. 7, 2025, and she has not yet received all of the project filings, the court documents state.
“It isn’t publicly accessible and that’s our point,” Clary said.
The county’s five-year capital plan for the Marshlands Conservancy includes expanding the nature center exhibit area, storage area, and public meeting room, while adding additional office space. Other infrastructure changes include work on parking, pathways, the boardwalk, drainage, and landscaping.
The county estimates the project would cost nearly $11 million once completed.
But while that information is publicly available as a line item in the county’s 2026 Capital Budget, Clary said, the Jay Heritage Center is looking for more detailed development plans, which the county has refused to provide.
“We’re really mystified by what’s going on,” she said. “This is not just an upgrade of the existing building — this is an expansion.”
The Jay Heritage Center stewards a large parcel of public land in Rye on the border of the Marshlands Conservancy wildlife sanctuary. The nature preserve is part of the county parks system.
The parks department is the named defendant in the litigation, which was filed in late September in Westchester Supreme Court.
While the county’s proposal for the property does not have a clear timeline, Clary said she has started to notice “visible” changes to the Marshlands — including trees being cleared and gravel being used to fill in wet areas. When she has asked county officials about those changes, she said, they have dismissed her concerns, telling her either nothing is happening or the project is just a “wish list” item.
Westchester County officials, however, said no ground has been broken at the Marshlands Nature Center, and the proposal is purely conceptual.
“The inclusion of the Marshlands project in the county’s five-year capital plan simply identifies it as a project the county may choose to undertake,” county Communications Director Catherine Cioffi said. “There is no construction underway, nor is any construction imminent. Any suggestion to the contrary is false.
“At the appropriate time, all relevant stakeholders will be consulted, as required by law,” Cioffi added.
Rye Mayor-elect Josh Nathan, a Democrat, said he’s “aware, very generally,” of the county’s development proposal, and has asked to meet with Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, a Democrat, to discuss the matter in January, after he is sworn into office.
Similarly, outgoing Rye Mayor Josh Cohn said that he was aware of a potential project, but added that the county has not yet consulted with the city. Cohn said he has concerns about the project, and he hopes to see collaboration if the county moves it forward.
“The Marshlands is important to its neighbors and other residents, and in general to our city in which it is located,” Cohn said. “I would hope for a good, consultative discussion before plans progress.”
County Attorney John Nonna and county Legislator Catherine Parker did not respond to The Record’s requests for comment.
