Urban Development in Rockland

Much has been said about the current state of urban and suburban development in the United States. Strip malls, large stroads (also known as “street roads”) with too many lanes, and a hostile environment for pedestrians are now standard features of American communities. During the urban renewal era of the 60s and 70s, car dependency became synonymous with the American dream and symbols of post-war middle class wealth accumulation. Back in the day homes were cheap, cars were cheap, and the  feeling of prosperity brought on by the end of the 40s felt like it would last forever. Now, many Americans, having been born in a world after the second World War and Great Depression, are starting to see the cracks. 

Homeownership has never seemed more out of reach, car dependency is a frustrating barrier, and the general cost of living is out of control. With the way things currently are, it seems almost impossible to be able to afford life as an adult in the place you grew up, especially when it comes to Rockland County. 

According to Zillow, the average cost of a home in Rockland is $726,311 with single family houses averaging around $746,380. Now, this is an average,  which means home prices could be well below or well above this number depending on what you’re looking for and where you’re looking. However, Zillow also reports that home prices have increased dramatically from $436,374 in January 2018 to the number we have now, $726,311. That is a nearly $290,000 difference. This jump in price illustrates just how bad the affordability crisis has become. As a young person who has just entered the work force, I’m forced to wonder if there’s any hope for me living in the community I grew up in. 

The issue is that Rockland,  and the United States as a whole, needs to massively reassess its zoning practices and its restrictions on affordable and public housing. Density could solve a litany of these issues. Mixed use developments featuring housing and amenities could have a massive impact on these issues. Rockland has a fantastic base urban infrastructure with walkable and inviting town centers across the county. Strodes and strip malls, like what can be found along RT 59, need a massive rework in terms of usage and housing developments. Instead of a series of stripmalls with a smattering of single family neighborhoods in the vicinity like what was built during Urban Renewal, Rockland developers need to more thoroughly integrate life at home and life in the town. 

There is an amount of luxury in these types of developments. When I studied abroad in Italy for my senior year of college, the apartment I stayed in had a grocery store directly below it. Small, yes, especially compared to the ShopRites and Stop&Shops I was used to, but still an untold convenience. Instead of making one massive trip, filling up my car with a week’s worth of food, and lugging all of that into my house only to realize I forgot to buy eggs, I could just wander in after class and feel out what I wanted for dinner that night. If I forgot something? Oh well, guess I’ll just ride the elevator back down and grab it, besides I’d be in and out in two minutes.

Now, this isn’t to say that every house ought to have its own grocery store attached to it (though I’m sure that could be a popular policy). It’s simply to point out how our current mode of urban development restricts its own residents. Instead of forcing residents into car ownership, developers should take cues from Rockland’s own beautiful and walkable downtowns in places like Nyack or Nanuet and build upon those existing dense communities where people living there have easy access to all their essentials. It’s time for Rockland to take a cue from other American communities bridging the walkability gap like Tempe, Arizona, or Carmel, Indiana. Rockland is in desperate need of affordable, walkable neighborhoods that serve residents, and not cars.