Clarkstown Is Considering a Six-Month Building Moratorium. Here’s What the Town Says It Would Pause.

PUBLIC RECORD — TAXES, LOCAL GOVERNMENT & DEVELOPMENT

Clarkstown is considering a six-month building moratorium. Here’s what the Town says it would pause.

A moratorium sounds like a stop sign. This one is still only a proposal—and the details matter: what could pause, what would stay exempt, when the public can speak, and what the Town has not yet settled in the record.

Public-record graphic stating that Clarkstown's building moratorium is proposed, not in effect, and listing the September 15 public hearing at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall — Public-record graphic by The Rockland Edit, based on the Town of Clarkstown’s August 19 announcement and hearing notice. Editorial design; not an official Town notice.

First: it is not in effect yet

Clarkstown’s Town Board introduced the proposed moratorium on August 19, 2026. The next formal step is a public hearing scheduled for Tuesday, September 15, at 6:30 p.m. at Clarkstown Town Hall, 10 Maple Avenue in New City. Until the Town Board adopts a local law, the announcement is a proposal—not a current ban on construction. Read the Town’s announcement ↗

What the Town says it would cover

The Town’s public summary says the pause would apply to new applications for multifamily development, large-scale subdivisions, and commercial and industrial development, including artificial-intelligence data centers. The Town says applicants covered by the moratorium would be prevented from seeking approvals while Clarkstown reviews and updates its land-use rules.

That does not mean every permit, renovation, home, or storefront would stop. The announcement describes several exemptions: small-scale subdivisions, individual residential projects, commercial or industrial projects smaller than 5,000 square feet, and projects within the Nanuet Hamlet Center.

Why Clarkstown says it wants the pause

The Town says it wants time to bring its zoning and land-use regulations into line with several pieces of work now underway: a Community Preservation Plan, studies of the Routes 303 and 304 corridors, a townwide traffic-signal study, comprehensive-plan work, and recent changes to state environmental review rules. Read Clarkstown’s public-hearing column ↗

There is a larger preservation conversation behind this. New York authorized Clarkstown to create a Community Preservation Fund, but the Town says voters would still need to approve the local funding mechanism in a referendum. That is related context—not proof that the proposed moratorium or any particular land-use choice is necessary. Read the Town’s preservation-act update ↗

Six months could become twelve

If adopted as described, the moratorium would last six months from its effective date. The Town says the Board could extend it once, for as long as another six months, by passing a resolution explaining why more time is needed. An extension is possible; it is not automatic.

What to watch before September 15

The actual draft law: a press release is a summary. The text should define exactly which applications, approvals, and project sizes are covered.
Projects already in the pipeline: the public summary does not explain whether pending or previously filed applications would be grandfathered.
The line between “small” and “large”: readers need the draft’s definitions, not an assumption based on ordinary language.
Exceptions and hardship relief: the summary does not say whether an applicant could seek a waiver or appeal.
The effective date: even if the Board votes after the hearing, the final law should say when the clock begins.

The Town Clerk maintains Clarkstown’s official records, including agendas, minutes, and local laws. Residents planning to attend should check the current meeting materials before September 15 because hearing details and proposed text can change. Check Clarkstown’s agenda and minutes portal ↗

This is a reading of Clarkstown’s own public announcement, not an endorsement of the proposal or a prediction about its effects. The Town’s summary gives residents the outline, but it is not enough to determine how a specific parcel, permit, or pending application would be treated. Those answers belong in the proposed and final local-law text—and in the public record around the September 15 hearing.

Sources: Town of Clarkstown moratorium announcement and public-hearing column, Planning Department, Town Clerk records portal, and Community Preservation Act update. Public pages checked August 27, 2026, at 9:57 a.m. EDT.