Nyack Hospital Restoring Much Missed Open Field

By Rockland Daily Staff

Good news for Nyack residents; the 1.5-acre gravel parking lot next to Nyack Hospital will be turned back into an open field for children to run around and play soccer and baseball. 

According to LoHud, the Nyack School District leased the field to the hospital while the facility constructed the garage. The new garage will significantly increase patient, visitor, and staff parking spaces. 

The hospital stopped using the parking lot last Thursday, aside from twenty parking spots for designated staff, which they will use until December 23. 

Per hospital spokesperson Lauren Malone, the parking garage is open for valet parking only, with self-parking beginning during the first quarter of 2023.

According to Nyack Interim Schools Superintendent James Montesano, the restoration will occur between March 1 and June 1. The project will include demolition work, spreading topsoil, and applying grass seed. 

The decision to lease the property to the hospital back in December 2019 was greatly opposed by neighborhood residents. A petition with more than 1,500 names was filed by the opposition group "Save MacCalman Field." 

At the time, petition drive leader Justin Machia said, "The children are going to be misplaced."

Now, Machia has a positive outlook on what happened, saying, "At the end of this saga, there were some silver linings. It brought us closer together as a community, as neighbors, and demonstrated Nyack's passion and activism."

"The community will continue to guard this asset against a capitalistic approach and protect the paucity of green space for the children of Nyack," Machia proclaimed.

Photo Credit: Google Maps