New York Community Fighting Plan To Pave Over Beloved School Field To Make A Temporary Parking Lot
NYACK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – A Rockland County community is up in arms and fighting a hospital's plan to tear down a local school field -- all to create a parking lot that would only be used for a year.
"I'm very upset that they would even think to do this to get away with using the park is a parking lot," Maryann Ebersman said.
From her front porch, Ebersman has watched baseball games at the Midland Avenue field across the street for decades, now there's a proposal to turn it into a parking lot.
"It would be an eyesore. You took away the glamour, you took away our little piece of heaven, you know?"
She's talking about Montefiore Nyack Hospital, who plan on paving over the bases to create 100 temporary parking spots while their new garage is built.
"First of all it's in our backyard, literally. Second, it's green space which we don't have that much green space left," Tina Guarasci told CBS2
Guarasci runs T-Nee Tots Daycare a few houses away from the field. If it's paved, she's afraid her business will be flooded when it rains.
"The land is high so the runoff is going to come right into and down this street," Guarasci explained.
The daycare owner added this will be her second round in the ring fighting this parking lot proposal.
"It's frightening us now because it's three years later again… we're finding out about this again, is it going to be a fight every couple of years?"
In a statement Montefiore Nyack said in part, "the temporary parking area would provide parking spots for patients requiring outpatient services for chronic illnesses such as cancer and multiple sclerosis."
They say they'll only need the lot for a year to 18 months then they'll turn it back into a green space.
"Residents are concerned with what that will do, even if temporary, to our property values… Other concerns like traffic congestion and pollution," longtime resident Dan Rostan added.
The Nyack School District sent out a letter addressing some of the community concerns, but residents like Rostan worry this is a one-way conversation.
"We do not want to be railroaded."
The field belongs to the Nyack School District. According to the Nyack town officials and the Board of Education, this is only a proposal and it is still in discussion.
If the field was paved over, Montefiore Nyack Hospital would pay a monthly license for the space.
