Whether proposed warehouses in the town of Thompson or high-density housing that’s sprouted up virtually overnight, the rapid pace of development in the county has many citizens alarmed.

Now a tool that could help is at hand.

What if, whenever someone bought property in your town, they paid a little extra into a special community preservation fund?

Those monies could be used to protect farmland, preserve open space, establish parks and recreational areas, conserve natural resources and safeguard water quality. 

In Warwick, NY, such a fund has raised $18 million over the past 20 years. Those proceeds, together with another $18 million in matching grants, have enabled the town to secure 5,000 acres of farmland, create parks and more. 

How? The town could have bought properties outright. But they found they’d get a lot more bang for their buck by purchasing the development rights through the use of conservation easements—voluntary, legally binding agreements between a landowner and a municipality or land trust that permanently restrict development on a property. 

The landowners retain ownership and keep on paying taxes. They can continue to live on and work the land, pass it on to their heirs, or sell it. The conservation easement is attached to the deed, guaranteeing that the land will be protected in perpetuity.  

A number of other towns east of Sullivan are following in Warwick’s footsteps, thanks to the state’s Hudson Valley Community Preservation Act, which currently applies to Putnam, Ulster and Westchester counties. 

Enacted in 2007, the HVCPA authorizes municipalities in those counties to create local Community Preservation Funds financed by a modest real estate transfer tax paid by homebuyers.

How modest? Only the amount over the median sales price of homes in Sullivan would be subject to the tax, which is capped at 2 percent. Most communities set the tax between 0.75 percent and 1.5 percent. 

Let’s look at an example. Say the tax is 1.5 percent, and the median is $342,000. A house sells for $450,000, so the tax would apply to only $108,000, and the buyer would pay an extra $1,620.

Last September, the Sullivan County legislature unanimously passed a resolution asking the state to expand the HVCPA to include Sullivan. In January, state Sen. Peter Oberacker and Assembly Member Paula Kay introduced a bill to that effect.

Once the bill is signed into law (hopefully,  this spring), any municipality in Sullivan will be able to create a Community Preservation Plan. The town would then put a measure on the ballot in November for voters to decide whether to enact a real estate transfer tax to fund the plan.

Here’s what you can do: Call Oberacker (607/432-5524) and Kay (845/794-5807), as well as Assembly Member Brian Maher (845/379-5001), to let them know you strongly support this bill. (Since they and their staff have a lot of legislation to keep track of, refer to the bill by its number: S8938 in the Senate and A9411 in the Assembly.) 

The time to act is now. How skillfully a community balances responsible growth and preservation is key to its quality of life. Residential development can take off in an instant and change the character of a community forever. The Hudson Valley Community Preservation Act will help citizens protect the things that make Sullivan unique—its rural character, open spaces, and natural resources and habitats—for future generations to enjoy. 

Rebekah Creshkoff is the co-founder of Sustainable Sullivan. She lives in Callicoon, NY.