Mountco gets OK for sewer service

Camp LaGuardia, the former men”™s homeless shelter on the border of the towns of Chester and Blooming Grove, will be included in Orange County Sewer District No. 1.
In a heated debate between Orange County legislators, the vote passed, 11-10, with Michael Amo (I-Central Valley) casting the tie-breaking vote.

Many felt giving sewer to Scarsdale-based Mountco Construction was putting others who have been on the sewer district”™s waiting list for years at a disadvantage. Others feared the property would be “flipped” to another buyer.

The 900 homes planned for the 258-acre parcel will include a mix of live/work space, affordable housing, rental apartments and condos, as well as some single-family homes. Class-A office space and retail are included, with a  village square that will be the focal point of the new community, which lies in the towns of Chester and Blooming Grove, with a slice in the village of Chester.   Some 10,000 square feet will be set aside for a satellite for Mount St. Mary College, and company principal Joel Mounty said if the campus needs to expand, he would  guarantee the school would get the needed space.

The county bought the property in 2008 for $8.5 million and is anxious to get it back on the tax rolls. County Executive Edward Diana had  already given Mountco several extensions until the sewer issue could be cleared up, one of the hurdles the developer  faced before signing off on the final agreement.