Letter: County’s Proposed $11M Marshlands Area Project Will Cause Irreversible ‘Harm’

The following is an open letter to the Westchester County Board of Legislators printed at the author’s request.

My name is Suzanne Clary and I am the president of the Board of Trustees of the Jay Heritage Center. Our nonprofit manages the 23-acre Jay Estate in Rye for the benefit of the public with free programs and free access to parkland for all Westchester residents without any funding from Westchester County.

We have proven ourselves to be good neighbors to all.

I am here because we and others are concerned about the $10.8 million unvetted proposal for dewatering the Marshlands, trenching to 5-foot depths, clearcutting, paving, demolition, and construction all in an effort to generate money for County Parks.

These actions will irreversibly harm established wildlife habitats, crush important Indigenous and African American artifacts that have lain undisturbed for centuries, and endanger the watershed of both our parks which are connected by natural watercourses and thousands of years of history.  

The Conservancy, which was previously threatened by development in the 1980s, has been a protected wildlife preserve, created for the benefit of birds and rare species for more than five decades.

In fact, this legislative body protected it forever as passive parkland in 1997. The current proposal ignores that legislation entirely. Some of the notable names on the 1997 legislation are Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Congressman George Latimer, and Deputy County Executive Richard Wishnie.

Will you now alienate the parkland that they protected, just for profit? 

There’s a new plan to completely demolish what’s there and erase history. Contrary to Westchester County’s much publicized Good Neighbor Policy Executive Order, the public and neighbors have never seen these plans to erect a building the size of a TD Bank.

Furthermore, the almost $11 million plan relies upon an outdated and inaccurate 1971 survey. It doesn’t have accurate property lines and doesn’t reflect the environmental data and archaeological research that has taken place at the site in the intervening 54 years.

The plan dramatically subtracts habitat and dramatically changes the historic usage of the property. This flies in the face of the unique character of this area, which is a component of the only National Historic Landmark District in all of Westchester and the last, pristine open coastal space in Southern Westchester on Long Island Sound.  

We are not the only ones concerned about this project which has ballooned from $5.4 million to nearly $11 million in less than 12 months — since the last budget hearing. New York State Parks, which has a 90 percent interest in the Jay Estate adjacent to Marshlands, and the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) were not consulted.

The municipalities of Rye, Rye Neck, and Harrison and their residents, including immediate neighbors in the Preserve, Greenhaven neighborhoods, and members at Rye Golf Club were not consulted. No traffic study about possible congestion on Boston Post Road has been done.

Toxic landfills recently identified by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation that are in the path of the construction have not been remediated and will add additional costs and environmental impact if not dealt with first – that cost is not yet included in the budget. 

A response to a recent FOIL request and Article 78 filed by stakeholders revealed that internal county documents identified this project as highly sensitive and advised against it yet the county has ignored those recommendations.  

Given the significance of the Marshlands Conservancy as an undisturbed quiet place to walk, meditate, and imagine America’s 250-year history; given that it is a repository for fragile African American and Indigenous cultural resources, including a possible African American burial ground for enslaved men, women and children; given that it is an area with extensive wetlands; and given its high environmental and cultural importance to New York state as a serene sanctuary and buffer zone between wildlife and urbanization, we would strongly advise that this proposal and approval of any associated budget items would be rescinded and delayed until all the stakeholders have been convened in a transparent process.

It is premature to include a $10.8 million plan in the 2026 budget that may not be culturally, environmentally, or legally appropriate.

In 1997, the county Board of Legislators protected this parkland – honor that legislation.

 
Suzanne Clary, President of the Jay Heritage Center