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County allocates $4M to open-space fund and backs two local acquisitions
Summary
The Legislature approved a $4 million appropriation to the county Open Space fund and authorized funding agreements for a 2.1-acre Chester parcel (county share up to $75,000) and a 62.6-acre conservation easement in Warwick (county share up to $170,000). Officials said stewardship and conservation easements will preserve both properties in perpetuity.
The Ways and Means Committee on Feb. 24 moved to appropriate $4,000,000 to the Orange County Open Space fund, a sum already reflected in the adopted 2026 Capital Plan. The appropriation was classified as a Type I SEQRA action and the committee approved a negative declaration for the funding action.
Alan Sorensen, Orange County Commissioner of Planning, described two funded projects: a Village of Chester acquisition at 74 Main Street (2.1 acres; maximum purchase $442,500, county share not to exceed $75,000) and a Town of Warwick conservation easement on 62.6 acres at 147 Jessup Road (the 'Lavender Farm') with a county share not to exceed $170,000. Sorensen said the Chester parcel "will stay the way it is into perpetuity" and explained that for the Warwick property the county will purchase development rights and file a conservation easement with stewardship and annual inspections, typically performed in partnership with the Orange County Land Trust.
Both funding agreements were approved unanimously. Legislators asked about county oversight and enforcement; Sorensen said easement stewardship agreements and annual inspections would ensure compliance with conservation terms. The approvals create capital-authority commitments and trigger future implementation steps such as easement recording and stewardship monitoring.
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