Rockland Officials Meet On Nyack College Closing

NYACK, NY — As of next fall, Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary will be gone from Rockland County. The Christian college announced last month that it would consolidate operations at its Manhattan campus starting with the 2019-20 school year.

To talk about the proposed sale, County Executive Ed Day hosted a meeting at his office Friday. The Supervisors of Clarkstown and Orangetown, the Mayors of the Villages of Nyack and South Nyack, the Rockland County Planning Department and representatives of Nyack College and their commercial real estate firm CBRE all attended or sent representatives.

The meeting was called to address community concerns and develop a comprehensive approach to ensure appropriate development of the college's 107-acre campus in South Nyack, the 37-acre campus of the Alliance Theological Seminary on Route 9W in Upper Nyack, and a 22-acre parcel in Orangetown where the college president lives.

Nyack College Treasure David C. Jennings told the RC Business Journal that the sale price was near $100 million.

Manhattan was Nyack College's original home, in 1882. The college relocated to Rockland County in 1897. Then it re-established a city campus in 1997. CBRE represented the college in buying its new city campus in Battery Park in 2016.

“While we all regret the departure of Nyack College developing a strong working relationship between all parties is critical to the success of this endeavor,” Day said in a press release about the meeting. “I appreciate the effort of Nyack College and CBRE in their transparency about their plans for the sale. This meeting was a positive first step towards ensuring that this sale brings the best value and a net benefit to the community.”

Orangetown Supervisor Chris Day said, “I’m glad that we have been able to continue to work across Town, Village, and County government to ensure that this sale ends up as a net positive for the area. This meeting generated very positive takeaways as to the process and a solid commitment from Nyack College and their realtor to keep us tied into the process in a way that will only benefit our community.”

Clarkstown Supervisor George Hoehmann said, “I am delighted government stakeholders met to think and discuss how transformative the beautiful Nyack College campus can be for all residents in the future. It was reassuring to hear representatives of CBRE express their willingness to understand and work within the scope of existing zoning laws as potential redevelopment of the site is contemplated.”

“We are all working together in order to keep our community intact and maintain the unique characteristics and integrity that exist today,” said South Nyack Mayor Bonnie Christian.

“Our goal is to maintain the fabric of our community and ensure responsible development and growth,” said Nyack Mayor Don Hammond. “Nyack College has been an integral part of the culture of the Village for many years with their students and staff visiting our stores, living in the Village and volunteering their time here. We are staying as involved as possible in the sale process to ensure any future owner will be a good neighbor to the Village of Nyack.”

“We look forward to learning more about the potential plans for these substantial properties in South Nyack and Upper Nyack," said Doug Schuetz, Acting Commissioner of Planning. "We are pleased to see such a unified, professional effort underway to ensure these properties continue to maintain and enhance the existing character within their surrounding communities. Once a new owner is in place, any proposed redevelopment or new use for the properties will be within our purview and we will be happy to work with the Villages, as well as the other County and State agencies that will be involved, to review proposals and provide input.”

Nyack College and CBRE stressed Nyack College’s long tradition of positive influence in the community.

Nyack College President Mike Scales said, “we appreciate having the opportunity to converse with Rockland County leadership. This all hands-on deck meeting was a success, as it created great dialogue, open discussion and collaboration. As we move forward, we are confident that our experienced partner CBRE will manage this transition with continued transparency and the utmost professionalism.”