On the Record

SV-CUPON is committed to bringing the actions of our village into the light for the public to see.

SV-CUPON members have been attending every land use meeting this year. What we have observed and documented is shocking:

• The number of projects being considered makes it impossible for any board to competently review.
• We are monitoring over 40 applications.
• Board members are uninformed as to what items they will be voting on.
• They often are asked to make decisions on applications that they have only been aware of for a few minutes.
• There is confusion as to how many members on a board, who they are, how many votes are needed.
• When an item fails to pass, it’s just put on hold until the right combination of developer-friendly board members bother to show up.
• The agendas are full of errors.
• The village does not send information about applications to the person designated by the fire department to review plans.
• Meeting often last 3-4 hours, once until 1:45 AM!
• Many applications are recommended for disapproval by the  Rockland County Planning Board
• The village boards routinely override the county recommendations with no good explanation.

What kinds of development are being approved? Over-sized, two-family structures on under-sized lots. These are replacing the small, single-family dwellings that are characteristic of Spring Valley. Because the structures are so large compared to the size of the lot, there is no room for trees, and any grassy areas are tiny. Increases in density impact the quality of life of current and future residents.

You don’t need to be a land-use professional to see the changes being made to the character of the village. The new structures tower over the old. They are treeless and barren. You don’t have to have a PhD in sociology to see that the complexion of the village is changing. Developers love gentrification. You don’t have to be a civil engineer to see that traffic has increased a lot.

SV-CUPON believes that the average person can make a difference. Working together, with help from the Rockland CUPON, we can stop the madness.

How can you get involved? Just show up. We meet on the second Thursday of each month. Details of our meetings and all the village meetings are on the website. Sign up to receive updates.on the website as well.