CATSKILLS REGION – The Catskills region contains 10 times the land needed to support population expectations through 2035, meaning growth can occur there without negatively affecting open space resources, a new Open Space Institute study finds.

The study identifies more than 520,000 acres of private land that could be developed that is more than would be needed to accommodate population growth estimates of about four percent over the next 25 years.

The report looks at land in Sullivan, Ulster, Greene and Delaware counties.

“This report presents an analysis that can help balanced and sustainable development in our region become a reality,” said Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress President Jonathan Drapkin. “OSI’s study identifies areas where there is a potential for a ‘win-win’ between conservation and development. That synergy is critical to assuring development can occur in a timely and efficient manner while serving the greatest long-term interests of Catskill residents and businesspeople.”

The report found that Ulster County is the most developed of the four counties at seven percent of its land area. It also contains the most conserved lands – 32 percent, and the least amount of preferred growth area, at 11 percent.

A total of 83 percent of Sullivan County’s open space resources are in private ownership. The county contains the greatest percentage of preferred growth in the region, at 30 percent, with much of it concentrated in the center of the county, alongside existing infrastructure, like schools, roads, water and sewer services, and emergency facilities.

Delaware County is the least developed of the four counties – only four percent of its land, and despite significant regulatory and physical obstacles, it can increase development more than 6.5 times without directly affecting its open space resources.

In Greene County, 24 percent of its land is already conserved. Six percent of the county is developed, and it contains enough preferred growth area to triple that figure.