The review of site plans for construction of a senior housing project in the Village of Airmont in Rockland County has taken another step forward with the preparation of a Final Environmental Impact Statement by the developer.
Blue Rill Estates LLC, which has an address in Airmont, is proposing to construct the senior housing project on three parcels of land with a total area of approximately 17.99 acres. There would be 105 residential units in the development. The site is located on the west side of Saddle River Road, south of Long Meadow Drive within the Village of Airmont.
The land had been used for the Blue Rill Day Camp, with 18 buildings, six Quonset huts, four swimming pools, three tennis courts, five basketball courts, four baseball fields, three playgrounds, one outdoor theater, and one pavilion. The developer purchased the property in 2021 for a reported $8 million.
The housing units would be built as multi-family, two-story homes. The residences would be served by two entrances on Saddle River Road. The development also would include two community centers as well as active and passive recreation areas to be used by the residents. Off-street parking, sidewalks, landscaping, and appropriate lighting would be included in the development. .
The project sponsor initially applied to the Village of Airmont Planning Board for site development approval in February of last year.
The developer says that the project will help meet the village’s need for new senior housing. Each unit in the proposed development would have a footprint of approximately 1,292 square feet and a total floor area of approximately 2,000 square feet. The development is targeted to serve people age 55 and older.
Airmont’s Comprehensive Plan notes that the senior citizen population of the village has been rapidly growing since 2010. The Comprehensive Plan suggests that the growing senior population requires specific planning consideration, with an emphasis on affordable housing.
The developer says that the project would increase the diversity of housing options available in Rockland County, and that a lack of housing diversity has driven up housing costs.
It was estimated that the project could produce annual combined real estate property tax receipts for the town, village, county, and school district upon full build-out of $1,477,545. Of that, the local school district could receive $743,085 and it was expected that no additional children would be added to the school population by the project.
A traffic analysis was conducted to evaluate conditions in the study area for the year 2026 to reflect future conditions and found no serious impacts. The development would be expected to generate 40 new vehicle trips during the morning peak hour, 46 new vehicle trips during the afternoon peak hour and 32 new vehicle trips during the Saturday peak hour.
The population of the Village of Airmont as of the 2020 Census was 10,166. The project at full capacity would be anticipated to have a permanent population of approximately 210 residents, which is an increase of less than 1% in the village’s population.
