Granite Pointe is the most environmentally sensitive piece of property in all of Somers, N.Y.
Granite Pointe is the most environmentally sensitive piece of property in all of Somers, N.Y.
WELCOME!
STOP DEVELOPMENT AT GRANITE POINTE consists of concerned citizens from Somers and Yorktown, N.Y.
The Issue:
“It’s hard to accept the decision-making of the Somers Planning Board for ultimately granting developer John Harkins’ final subdivision approval to build 23 homes on 28.8 forested acres nestled along the Amawalk Reservoir.
“Yes, that Amawalk Reservoir the gorgeous gem at the intersections of Routes 202 and 35, which is owned by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) and delivers drinking water for about 35,000 to 40,000 Yorktown and Somers residents, not to mention city folks.”
-Adam Stone, The Examiner News, December 2023
Our Mission:
STOP DEVELOPMENT AT GRANITE POINTE has one focus: We are exposing the deceptive behavior of local government and are galvanizing and mobilizing the community to demand an immediate end to the ill-conceived, ill-planned Granite Pointe “luxury” housing subdivision on the Westchester County designated Critical Environmental Area, which is wrapped on three sides by the public water supply of 40,000 local-area residents and hundreds of thousands of more users downstream through the Croton Reservoir System.
Below you will find myriad evidence supporting the truth: Amawalk Reservoir and the adjacent Granite Pointe is truly spectacular land that needs to be shielded from unnecessary- and unaffordable to most - housing that will further threaten this fragile ecosystem, as well as the health and safety of all who live nearby.
The fact that this land has a history of being used for trap shooting and skeet shooting in the 1930’s through the 1960’s is cause for alarm. It has recently undergone cleanup on 4.7 acres by the NYSDEC to remove the high levels of lead, antimony, and other soil contaminants.
The question remains….what are the potential impacts of contamination on the adjoining 24 acres? Will removing the existing mature forest and excavating soil for 23-one acre homes remobilize lead into the reservoir, air, and organisms in the process? The numerous septic tanks, driveways, and roads 300 feet from the reservoir poses a significant risk of further contaminating our drinking water by introducing more bacteria, nitrates, ‘forever chemicals,’ and other harmful pollutants.
We should all be very concerned about the destruction of Granite Pointe’s forested land because the science is crystal clear : protected forests make for cleaner water and air. Forests act as natural water filters and they help remove pollutants and sediment. They also stabilize soil and prevent erosion. Forests are a cost-effective way to ensure a clean and stable water supply for all.
Amawalk Reservoir’s Granite Pointe in the Media:
Attention is brought to the detrimental effects
development in this area will have.
Click HERE to read the 2025 article by Carol Reif in The Somers Record.
Click HERE to read the 2023 article by Adam Stone in The Examiner News.
Click HERE to read the 2015 article by David McKay Wilson in LoHud.
Click HERE to read the 2025 article by Hilary Howard in The New York Times.
Click HERE to read the article by Cornell University.
Click HERE to read the 1990 article by Tessa Melvin in The New York Times.
Below is a map of the area
we’re so passionate about.
Stay informed
Join us in our mission to:
Stop Development at Amawalk Reservoir’s Granite Pointe. This land must be protected in perpetuity as a natural habitat and crucial buffer to help preserve clean water and air quality, and support a complex ecosystem for native species such as fish, migratory birds, bald eagles, egrets, native bees, butterflies, salamanders, wood frogs, microorganisms in the soil and all life.
As local citizens, our goal is to leave a lasting legacy, a future nature preserve and/or educational site. A rainbow on the horizon for Westchester County, that will be open to the public for all to enjoy. Nature heals and provides a gift from recreation, to aesthetics, historical, and spiritual benefits.
A luxury housing development does not belong on a peninsula of forested land that juts directly into Amawalk Reservoir, a critical water source. Our quality of life is linked to a healthy and diverse environment.
Granite Pointe was once designated by Westchester County as one of the region’s Critical Environmental Areas. It should never have been approved for a housing development by the Town of Somers. Now is the time to let your town officials know that this land needs to be protected for both the present and for future generations.