Students, Mentors Discuss Rockland Land Use

At the 2012 Rockland Planning Use with Students (PLUS) project at RCC on Friday, four Rockland high schools joined more than 30 community leaders to go over land use ideas. 

Students from Nanuet, Clarkstown South, Tappan Zee and Spring Valley high schools prepared six different local projects that they presented and discussed with the community leaders who acted as mentors. They also discussed the Rockland Psychiatric Center (RPC) property.

Here are some of their ideas. Their full presentations are attached to this article. Tell us in the comments what your land use ideas are for these sites.

Nanuet's Shelzia George, Brandi Marulli and Leslie Diaz—Expanding the Nanuet Education Resource Center to Add a Greenhouse:

• Fish farming will be capable
• Nanuet Knight House will be solar powered energy, reuse and recycling water, unlimited ground water, mitigation of fresh produce imports, LED lights for heat lamps, Aquaponics
• Will provide the community with produce and community activities
• Fresh produce and fish are grown in the greenhouse using aqua and hydroponics, then sold in a farmers market format
• Will allow students to participate in the growing and cultivating of community’s produce and teach sustainable environmental techniques

Nanuet's Melani Salibian and Tara Hansen—Community Center on Convent Road:

• Bus stop in front of the community center to improve the walkshed
• Build a basketball court and picnic tables using recycled plastic
• Buy a carpet made from plastic bottles
• Green roofs reduce heat island effect and inceases biodiversity from insects to plants to butterflies and bees
• Due to the location, light pollution would not be a concern
• Bring it up to current sustainable standards with solar panels, gardens, plants, green roof, geothermal heating, smart thermostat, LED bulbs, thermal solar water heater

Nanuet’s Olivia Walsh and Morgan McCarney—Abandoned Fruit Farm and Huffman Koos:

• Transform into Women’s Clubhouse of Rockland County
• To feature a gym/workout room, yoga, book club, library, daycare and classes such as cooking, dance, aerobics, knitting, self defense, painting and pottery.
• Run with solar panels, solar hot water heater for gym showers
• Sky lights and windows; Using pervious paving for the parking lot
• Incentives for those who carpool or use public transportaion or walk

Clarkstown South—The site located in West Nyack on West Nyack Road between Strawtown and Viaduct roads:

• Have a parking area, centralized park, local shopping opportunities, historical components and open space
• Parking lot – roof will have solar panels that will power the lights in the parking lot and small surrounding gardens to retain rainfall
• Buildings to feature CFL and LED lighting, rooftop and front gardens, energy efficient appliances and skylights
• Pervious paving substance for sidewalks with garbage and recycling bins every 30 feet
• Have rain gardens and native plantings

Tappan Zee—Rebuilding the German Masonic Home of Tappan:

• Turn the first floor into a Tappan history museum
• Open air theater, art-walk,
• Native trees, shrubs, flowers to be planted
• Automatic dimming fluorescent lights
• Energy efficient windows
• Use recycled materials
• Pervious pavement for walkways and reduce runoff water
• Rainwater will be collected from the roof to serve as economically and environmentally friendly source of landscape irrigation water

Spring Valley—Old Route 59 Drive-In:

• Include Green ways for movement between the buildings
• Pavement to include porous asphalt to allow water to go directly into the soil
• Underground garage several levels deep and on top will be a park for public use
• Native flowering trees, grass plants and ground cover to beautify
• Olive garden restaurant to be a focal attraction
• Rec center with ample and convenient parking
• A permanent Americorp office
• Dance and driver ed classes, a gym for local sports and a pool
• A homeless shelter close to hiking paths and pond
• A childcare place, roller rink with retractable roof

Tell us in the comments what your land use ideas are for these sites.