New Website to keep us Updated

[Qapla]

Sterling Mine Road Audio/Video Production Center | New York (jw-avcenter.org)

 

 

 

 

[Dages]

Does it mean the project is smaller than previously announced or that the announced project is already the reduced one?

[Nemo]

It looks like they simplified the project to make it more environmentally friendly. The site will be using renewable energy for electricity. For housing it’s a reduction of 275 rooms. Initially it was planned for like 800+ rooms now it’s like 850 ish. So it’s just respecting the land and planning for the long haul.

[Qapla]

Some of the differences:

 

• The previously approved project had 876 bedrooms across 292 structures, while the proposed project has 645 bedrooms across 10 structures.
• The overall extents of land disturbance for the proposed project are 73 percent of the previously approved project.
• The previously approved project was entirely residential thus traffic would be generated for employment. This project is a live/work campus thus traffic is greatly reduced with traffic limited to off peak times. Public visits will be ‘booked’ in advance with the neighboring facility in Orange County so as to not create any additional ‘trips’.
• Rather than replace this existing stone-clad bridge, it is being restored to form part of the infrastructure of the proposed project.

 

 

Edited January 4, 2021 by Qapla

[jwhess]

When I looked last time, I could not actually locate a direct access road from Sterling Mine Road.  Has anyone seen the driveway access?

[Qapla]

There does not seem to be any direct access road on the Google maps - that may have changed since the last photos were taken ... they appear to have been taken in 2019

 

[Old]

2 hours ago, jwhess said:

When I looked last time, I could not actually locate a direct access road from Sterling Mine Road.  Has anyone seen the driveway access?

I Googled street view both ways on Sterling Mine Road and saw very few entry drives on the south side of the road. I think the 155 sign is a mockup. I did find 165 Sterling Mine Road, which would be about 10 numbers to the east. This screenshot is North up.

 

[jwhess]

8 minutes ago, Old said:

I Googled street view both ways on Sterling Mine Road and saw very few entry drives on the south side of the road. I think the 155 sign is a mockup. I did find 165 Sterling Mine Road, which would be about 10 numbers to the east. This screenshot is North up.

 

I went to the map print out (not the satellite view), and it only showed the 155 number on Sterling Mine Rd and a long "dotted line" leading to the central area in the trees.

 

 

Edited January 4, 2021 by jwhess

[Qapla]

I found those same things when I looked

[The Outcast]

On 1/4/2021 at 7:02 PM, Dages said:

Does it mean the project is smaller than previously announced or that the announced project is already the reduced one?

No. The Ramapo site was bought in 2009.
The comparison is made between the planning of elderly-friendly apartments by the city of Ramapo from 2007 and our planning from 2019.
Example: The city of Ramapo had planned 292 buildings. Our brothers are only planning 10 buildings. etc.

[Bible_Schulz]

Thankyou. That is an interessting website

[Qapla]

The Ramapo property was purchased to build the WHQ - but, Ramapo and Rockland County would not grant permission. They did not want all that land going off the tax rolls. That is the reason the Warwick property was purchased and the WHQ was built where it is.

 

After Ramapo and Rockland County saw how many people came and visited and the revenue Tuxedo has made from the WHQ being there - they changed their mind. Since we already owned the property the decision was made to build the A?V department on it. They had planned to use Mt Ebo property for the A/V - and most likely will still play a roll in the production, especially during the building project.

 

From what I was told, due to the close proximity of Warwick WHQ and the Ramapo property, we will be able to have the two properties connect by "direct wire network".

 

[jwhess]

53 minutes ago, Qapla said:

The Ramapo property was purchased to build the WHQ - but, Ramapo and Rockland County would not grant permission. They did not want all that land going off the tax rolls. That is the reason the Warwick property was purchased and the WHQ was built where it is.

 

Part of the reason that Ramapo and Rockland did not want to let us use the property could be related to their growing problems with another religious group that is already resident in the area.  The ultra-orthodox Hasid Jews are a concern for some.  Here is a little snippet from the paper.

 

"A generation ago, there were few problems between Ramapo's small ultra-religious Jewish communities and the gentiles and other Jews who made up the bulk of the town's population.

Things have changed. As the ultra-religious community has grown, Ramapo has become a flash point in a continuing conflict over what it means to live in the suburbs"

 

SO we can see some of the population and their leaders were a little hesitant about inviting another unpopular religious group to take up a World Headquarters site in their town.  As Br. John pointed out, we have impressed the area with our life-style, cooperation and the attraction generates a local income stream for the community.  So we get permission several years later.