Clarkstown’s six-month building moratorium.
The Town Board passed a six-month pause on major development in September 2026, after overdevelopment became the defining issue of this election. What it covers, what it leaves out, and how it compares to the 12-month moratorium Eugene Bondar proposed in June.
What the Town passed
The Clarkstown Town Board voted on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 to adopt a local law establishing a six-month building moratorium, as the Rockland County Business Journal reported the next day. According to the Town, the law restricts approvals of multifamily development, large-scale subdivisions, and commercial and industrial development “such as AI data centers,” and applicants are prevented from seeking approvals before the Town’s land use boards while it is in effect.
The Town says it will use the time to appoint a Community Preservation Board and prepare a preservation plan, to review the Routes 303 and 304 Safety and Sustainability Study, the town-wide traffic signal and safety study, other studies of the Comprehensive Plan and recent changes to the State Environmental Quality Review Act, and to mail a resident survey on zoning and development.
The Town lists these exemptions: small-scale subdivisions, individual residential projects, commercial and industrial projects under 5,000 square feet, and projects in the Nanuet Hamlet Center. The moratorium can be extended by up to six more months by resolution of the Town Board.
Two moratoriums, side by side
| Town moratorium (Sept. 2026) | Bondar’s proposed moratorium (June 2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Six months | Twelve months |
| Extension | Up to six more months, by Town Board resolution | Only by Town Board vote after a public hearing |
| What it covers | Multifamily development, large-scale subdivisions, and commercial and industrial development including AI data centers, town-wide | Development applications under the Hamlet Center zoning districts created or amended in 2023 and 2025 in New City, Congers, Valley Cottage and West Nyack |
| What it exempts | Small subdivisions, individual residential projects, commercial or industrial projects under 5,000 sq ft, and the Nanuet Hamlet Center | Ordinary permits for existing homes and businesses outside those districts |
| Work done during the pause | Community preservation plan, review of traffic and safety studies and SEQRA changes, resident survey | Project-specific environmental review, cumulative traffic study, impact-fee framework and housing needs assessment |
| Data centers | Approvals paused while the moratorium runs | Addressed by a separate proposed law, the Clarkstown data center ban, which bans data centers and crypto mining in every district |
Why the length matters
Bondar published his proposal on June 1, 2026. The Business Journal reported that the Town announced its own six-month moratorium in mid-August, “recognizing overdevelopment was bubbling up as a top campaign issue.” At the September 15 public hearing, speakers supported a moratorium but most asked for twelve months, according to the same report.
The Town’s position is that case law requires a moratorium to be reasonable and limited to the time needed to update plans or zoning, and that “excessively long or indefinite pauses can be challenged and invalidated by courts.” Bondar told the Board that twelve months is lawful, and named five New York towns that have adopted twelve-month moratoriums since 2024: Southold, Lancaster, North Hempstead, Clay and Perth.
Where Eugene stands
A pause is only as good as what happens during it. Bondar’s draft ties the twelve months to specific work the Town’s own 2021 Comprehensive Plan and environmental review call for, so that the zoning that comes out the other side is based on studied traffic and infrastructure impacts rather than an election calendar. The full draft is published for anyone to read.
Common questions
Does Clarkstown have a building moratorium?
Yes. In September 2026 the Clarkstown Town Board enacted a six-month moratorium restricting approvals of multifamily development, large-scale subdivisions, and commercial and industrial development, including AI data centers. The Town Board can extend it by up to six more months by resolution.
What is exempt from the Clarkstown moratorium?
According to the Town, small-scale subdivisions, individual residential projects, commercial or industrial projects under 5,000 square feet, and projects in the Nanuet Hamlet Center are exempt.
How is Eugene Bondar’s moratorium different?
His proposed local law, published June 1, 2026, is a 12-month pause aimed at the Hamlet Center zoning districts created or amended in 2023 and 2025 in New City, Congers, Valley Cottage and West Nyack, tied to the project-specific environmental review, cumulative traffic study, impact-fee framework and housing needs assessment he says the town skipped. It can be extended only by a Town Board vote after a public hearing.
Why does the Town say six months?
The Town says case law requires a moratorium to be reasonable and limited to the time needed to update plans or zoning, and that excessively long pauses can be struck down. Bondar told the Town Board that New York towns have adopted 12-month moratoriums, and named five that have done so since 2024.
Does the Town’s moratorium ban data centers?
It temporarily restricts approvals of commercial and industrial development such as AI data centers while it is in effect. Bondar has separately proposed a permanent local law banning data centers and crypto mining in every zoning district.
- Press Release: Clarkstown Enacts Temporary Building Moratorium
Town of Clarkstown, September 18, 2026 - Politicians Use Moratoriums To Address Voters’ Woes In Clarkstown’s Heated November Election
Rockland County Business Journal, September 16, 2026 - Clarkstown enacts six-month building moratorium
Mid-Hudson News, September 17, 2026 - Proposed Zoning Moratorium (draft local law and explainer)
Bondar for Clarkstown, June 1, 2026
Descriptions of the Town’s moratorium are the Town’s own, from its press release. This page reflects the public record as of September 23, 2026. The text of the local law adopted by the Town Board controls.