We know people make the difference !!
Cortlandt W.A.T.C.H. Inc.
We Are the Cortlandt Homeowners Since 1985
OUR HISTORY
WHY A WATCH?
THE HISTORY OF CORTLANDT WATCH INC.
Prior to 1985, our Town government was approving thousands of new houses at an insane pace. The Town Board even changed zoning regulations to enable more development than was allowed by law. County government helped builders get NY State funds to sewer these new subdivisions while leaving long term residents without access to municipal services.
Projects were proposed everywhere in Cortlandt. The scope and pace of development enraged – and energized - hundreds of residents. At this time, “the need to grow” as perceived by builders even led to the proposal of 1200 housing units on 352 acres of wooded hillside in the northern part of town. Discontent began to coalesce into more than 30 homeowner associations, groups of neighbors who joined forces to protect their homes and quality of life from nearby projects. But successfully tackling the coalition of government and developers would require a town-wide organization.
A group of concerned citizens, officers of homeowner groups and candidates for office, sensing that the moment was right, decided to form an umbrella organization of residents. Of course, it wasn’t that simple but in the words of one of the founders “Cortlandt WATCH was the lightning rod not the lightning.”
On a very warm evening, September 5, 1985, WATCH's first meeting was called to order at the Mohegan Colony Day School. Initial meetings were informal discussions that focused on common interests, goals and methods. How would the group be structured? It was decided to form an apolitical, non-partisan association of paid members who owned homes in Cortlandt. They agreed to meet a minimum of once a month. Annual dues were set at $5 per family. (N.B. WATCH
WATCH Grows Like Topsy
From a core group of 28, membership grew rapidly, thanks to heavy turnouts of angry citizens at town meetings. WATCH brought membership invitation forms to meetings of Cortlandt’s Town, Planning and Zoning Boards and rapidly recruited members. Impassioned letters to area residents, followed up by knocking on doors, invitations in hand helped membership to swell 400 families, then ballooned to 700 when Cortlandt’s Planning Board approved Habitat Lafayette, a 300-plus unit subdivision in a pristine wetland.
By then, it was evident that the informal group needed a formal structure WATCH incorporated as a not-for-profit organization. WATCH’s ambitious agenda – early campaigns included opposition to funding developers’ sewers with State taxes and enacting environmental ordinances to limit building on steep slopes and in wetlands – attracted media coverage which attracted volunteers with crucial professional skills. Legal counsel guided WATCH through its seminal lawsuit against the Town’s approval of Habitat Lafayette. The presiding judge ruled – against the Town – that WATCH had standing in the case. The lawsuit more than halved the size of the development and placed nearly 120 lots under the protection of Cortlandt’s Conservation Advisory Council. WATCH became a force to be reckoned with in Cortlandt.
WATCH expanded its activism to a larger stage when county and state issues affected Cortlandt, including
® correcting unsafe practices at the County’s incinerator and ash dump,
® lobbying to stop ocean dumping of sewage sludge from the County’s treatment plants,
® and co-partnering legal action with Pace’s Environmental Law Clinic to get toxic lead out of Blue Mountain State Park. still meets once a month, still at the Mohegan Colony Day School, and dues are now $10.).
WATCH supported citizens in neighboring Peekskill in their campaign to protect public drinking water drawn from the Hollow Brook watershed. Even reached across the border to help a similar group in Putnam County.
Back at home base, WATCH joined successful citizen actions against an emery mine and a gravel crushing operation in residential areas and lobbied for passage of laws that protect our town’s water, woods, wildlife and open spaces: the Lot Count Law, the Cluster Ordinance, Wetlands Ordinance and Steep Slopes Ordinance. WATCH also supported development moratoriums that give the town time to catch its breath and take back control of its future . WATCH participated in the development of the Master Plan in many way, not the least of which was to call attention to issues that would have profound effect on the Town’s residential and commercial areas.
Spreading The Word
An important part of WATCH's mission is helping other citizens to organize and coaching them on effective political action on issues affecting their neighborhoods. WATCH has alerted citizens by calling attention to issues through the “letters to the Editor” and personal contact.
On the education front, WATCH sponsors a variety of public forums, including nuclear power, recycling, non-toxic landscape management, land conservation techniques and shopping for electricity. WATCH has also funded outdoor and environmental projects in local schools.
Graduates of Cortlandt WATCH
While WATCH remains true to its non-partisan roots, many of its members, executive board members and officers move in to new areas of public service in local government. WATCHWATCH members serve on standing or special town committees focused on planning, environmental protection, open space preservation, municipal services and traffic.
Back To The Future
With so many of its goals achieved, what lies ahead for WATCH? The biggest challenge facing the organization is attracting younger members and new residents. Our town still needs our careful and thoughtful guardianship. The open government and rationale planning for future growth the Cortlandt now enjoys is not simply luck. While the organization keeps quietly running, it knows that it takes people power to preserve the achievements of the past 20 + years.
In the words of the first President of WATCH, “WATCH. really made me feel like a part of the community…It made where you live more than just your house.”
Back at home base, WATCH joined successful citizen actions against an emery mine and a gravel crushing operation in residential areas and lobbied for passage of laws that protect our town’s water, woods, wildlife and open spaces: the Lot Count Law, the Cluster Ordinance, Wetlands Ordinance and Steep Slopes Ordinance. WATCH also supported development moratoriums that give the town time to catch its breath and take back control of its future . WATCH participated in the development of the Master Plan in many way, not the least of which was to call attention to issues that would have profound effect on the Town’s residential and commercial areas.
Spreading The Word
An important part of WATCH's mission is helping other citizens to organize and coaching them on effective political action on issues affecting their neighborhoods. WATCH has alerted citizens by calling attention to issues through the “letters to the Editor” and personal contact.
On the education front, WATCH sponsors a variety of public forums, including nuclear power, recycling, non-toxic landscape management, land conservation techniques and shopping for electricity. WATCH has also funded outdoor and environmental projects in local schools.
Graduates of Cortlandt WATCH
While WATCH remains true to its non-partisan roots, many of its members, executive board members and officers move in to new areas of public service in local government. WATCHWATCH members serve on standing or special town committees focused on planning, environmental protection, open space preservation, municipal services and traffic.
Back To The Future
With so many of its goals achieved, what lies ahead for WATCH? The biggest challenge facing the organization is attracting younger members and new residents. Our town still needs our careful and thoughtful guardianship. The open government and rationale planning for future growth the Cortlandt now enjoys is not simply luck. While the organization keeps quietly running, it knows that it takes people power to preserve the achievements of the past 20 + years.
In the words of the first President of WATCH, “WATCH. really made me feel like a part of the community…It made where you live more than just your house.”
