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A Planned Unit Development Proposed For College Road In Ramapo Would Add 562 Units Of Much-Needed Housing
Ramapo’s efforts to add housing units and new neighborhoods through Planned Unit Developments, or PUDs, is taking root.
Carlton Road Owner, LLC and Carlton Farms Corp., owners of 43.65 acres on the northwest corner of College Road and West Carlton Road, are seeking preliminary approval from the Ramapo Town Board for a proposed mixed-use development consisting of 562 residential units (of mixed types) in 19 residential buildings, and 105,600 SF of non-residential, mixed-use commercial space within two commercial buildings.
Of the 562 proposed residential units, 110 would be one-bedroom, 266 two-bedroom, 106 three-bedroom, and 80 four-bedroom units.
In May, the Ramapo Town Board adopted a local law allowing Planned Unit Developments outside the Town’s Northeast Area on lots of 10 acres of more and allows a developer to seek “site specific zoning” as an overlay over existing zoning limitations, provided the plan is in accord with the town’s Comprehensive Plan, or any proposed amendments to the plan.
The site is currently zoned R-50 and is largely vacant except for one single-family house.
The proposal has two types of residential buildings. One is three-story garden-style walk-up up to 43 feet in height. The other is a four-story building, 53 feet in height, with a central lobby and elevators to the upper floors. Several community or club-style buildings will provide amenities, including swimming pools, fitness centers and meeting rooms. 1,550 parking space are planned.
The construction plan calls for the removal of about 35 acres of forest, replaced by about 10 acres of grasslands and meadows. Anticipated water use is about 276,000 gallons per day.
Several commercial buildings are planned, accessible via College Road and West Carlton Road. Construction would be phased in over time, with an estimated completion day of Sept. 2030.
PUDs are “floating zones” created to encourage creative residential, commercial or mixed use development, including the construction of smaller and more affordable apartments and single-family detached residences. Ramapo, like the rest of Rockland County, is facing a crisis in both affordable and available housing units.
The PUD is akin to a type of “form-based zoning,” where what you design and build is more important than where it gets built. In traditional zoning codes, each zone determines what type of use and structure can be built within the confines of the zone – e.g. single-family zones, multi-family zones, retail zones, etc.
The PUD allows any type of mixed-use development and is designed to minimize the negative impacts associated with suburban sprawl. PUDs allow flexibility in planning and design, and enable developers to stray from adherence to conventional site and design requirements. The intent is to encourage development that contains amenities, protects sensitive environmental areas, utilizes infrastructure more efficiently, and creates a more desirable for living experience for residents.
PUDs can be considered anywhere in the Town of Ramapo (other than in the Northeast Corridor) on a parcel or parcels of contiguous land of 10 or more acres. Application is made to the Town Board, which has absolute discretion to accept or deny a PUD application. The Town Board can refer the application to the Planning Board for a recommendation (which the Town Board is required to consider), but the ultimate decision remains with the Town Board.
Proposed PUDs need to comply with the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. Non-complying PUDS can request an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan.
Last year, Ramapo approved a PUD overlay for the Millers Pond development on the former Minisceongo Golf Course property at 110 Pomona Road, just west of the New York Boulders Stadium. That process and approval for a mixed-use development of 637 residential units with 67,000 square feet of non-residential, mixed use commercial space was completed under a different section of the Town’s zoning code that was adopted in 2022.
PUDs in the Town’s Northeast Corridor require a minimum of 20 acres.
Before the Town can accept the PUD, the Town Board is required to hold a public hearing on a proposed PUD District and preliminary PUD plan within 45 days after the Town Board determines an application for a PUD is complete.
