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Rockland County is located approximately 30 miles north of Manhattan on the west side of the Hudson River. Known as the "gateway" to the Hudson Valley, Rockland is historically known for its heyday of early riverfront industry and commerce. It is also a much sought-after "hometown" for people who commute to jobs in nearby Westchester and Bergen Counties, as well as Manhattan. With more than 35 thousand acres of preserved open space and parkland in a county of only 115 thousand acres, Rockland offers a unique – and ideal – combination of both suburban and rural amenities for its residents.

Rockland has seen tremendous growth in population in the past several years within its five towns and 19 villages, causing a greater densification in housing and business development. This, in turn, has created a greater challenge than ever to encourage smart planning measures at the local level to help maintain the high quality of life for which Rockland is known.

Who are we?

The Planning Department consists of three symbiotic divisions: The Land Use Planning Division, the Transportation Planning Division, and the Information Division. Within the Information Division are the Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Tax-mapping and Census Programs.

What do we do?

The Rockland County Planning Department’s mission is to protect and enhance the quality of life for Rockland County residents by providing superior, innovative, professional expertise and state-of-the-art technical assistance in the areas of comprehensive land-use and transportation planning. The Department provides guidance, through the combination of dedicated professionals and cutting-edge technology, to assist the County in maintaining a livable, sustainable suburban community.

The Department staff consists of nine professional planners, and eight additional staff members who are GIS, planning, transportation, information and support specialists. Our new office facility was dedicated in December
1998. The Planning Department - thanks to dedicated staff, the advantages provided by a new facility, and the
support of the County’s Administration - today stands as an industry model for professional suburban planning in New York State.

Housed in Building T at Pomona’s Yeager Complex, the Planning Department works very closely with its "housemates" – the Public Transportation Department and TRIPS Bus Storage Facility. The 26,000-square foot building was funded through grants from the US Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). The space afforded by the construction of the new facility, combined with staff skills, have enabled the Department to expand its technological capabilities to meet and exceed those of many counties in the nation.

Why do we plan?

Professional "Planning" is done to ensure that neighborhoods of today grow and develop in a reasonable, viable and livable manner for the future. Planning is looking ahead - preventing suburban sprawl, and preserving open space for future generations. Planning is also looking back - learning from mistakes of the past for the benefit of today and tomorrow. Efficient planning involves looking at communities from a broad perspective to determine the best overall benefit for its people.

Rockland Planners encourage sustainable development among municipalities; that is, development that looks at the big picture, incorporating land-use and transportation planning measures together with the needs of the community. By definition, sustainability is, "an economic state where the demands placed upon the environment
by the people and commerce can be met without reducing the capacity of the environment to provide for future generations."

It is the Rockland County Planning Department’s goal and responsibility to appropriately guide municipal planning decisions, through the use of the guidelines set forth by the NYS General Municipal Law, the Official County Map and the County’s Comprehensive Plan.