Study touts benefits of region’s open space
Open space provides many benefits to local communities, including boosting the area’s tourism economy, water filtration, flood mitigation and pollination, according to a new study.
“Adding Value: Open Space Conservation in the Mid-Hudson Valley” also found, though, that twothirds of open space in Ulster, Dutchess, Putnam and Orange counties is not currently protected and there have been growing concerns about the impact of land preservation on the local tax base, including harm that could be done to local tax cap thresholds.
The multiyear study was conducted by the Regional Plan Association in partnership with researchers from SUNY New Paltz. The project quantifies the value of open space, including the savings these lands provide by filtering water and protecting nearby communities from flooding, according to a press release. The release said the open space also generates revenue through tourism and provides fresh food to the region.
“The Mid-Hudson Valley is a beautiful and desirable place to live and visit, defined by its vast and connected open space,” Robert Freudenberg, vice president for energy and environment
at Regional Plan Association, said in a statement. “By fully understanding the value that open space affords in balance with fair and transparent tax-exemption practices, the MidHudson can continue to be one of the region’s most treasured places.”
The study recommends New York state take six actions to help local governments preserve and manage open space:
• Revise the tax cap formula to remove disincentives for municipalities that have gained voter approval to bond for open space protection;
• Administer and report on the STAR program separately from actual property tax exemption programs;
• Amend state law to make the impact of exemptions more visible and understandable to citizens;
• Require annual state comptroller reporting of newly adopted tax exemptions and their impact;
• Adopt and implement a consistent, systematic policy regarding payments made to localities to relieve their burden of both undeveloped and developed exempt properties; and
• Take responsibility at the state level for local effects of state policy.
Ulster County Executive Michael Hein said it is always best when open space preservation is done with partners because it mitigates the impact on taxpayers and better leverages taxpayer dollars.
“We’re fortunate to have wonderful partners in the not-for-profit world, as well as other local governments, and are committed to thoughtful open space protections as well as farmland protection,” Hein said Thursday.
In terms of the impact of open space protection on local taxes, Hein said, when that is spread out over an area as large as Ulster County, the impact is relatively minor. He added that Ulster County has found a clear path toward preserving open space while protecting taxpayers. Hein said county taxes are less now than they were in 2010.
Kingston Mayor Steve Noble said he was aware of the study, but had not yet had time to familiarize himself with the contents.
“As you know, the city has been steadfastly working towards a Natural Resources Inventory and Open Space Plan, which I look forward to introducing to the public in the future,” Noble said.
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said his county has followed a conservation easement model that ensures properties remain on the tax rolls and there is no loss of tax base. He added that his administration has kept taxes under the state cap, but the study does highlight challenges for local municipalities that have to choose between supporting land preservation and staying within the cap.
“Dutchess County’s Partnership for Manageable Growth has strategically preserved and protected nearly 4,000 acres of farmland and open space, with an additional 800 plus acres pending,” Molinaro said. “These investments have helped to strengthen our agricultural heritage, a vital, diverse and growing economic engine, as well as preserve many unique viewsheds, historic resources and habitats so important to our region.”