Town of Chester Passes Community Preservation Funding Bill

Press Release: From the Office of Chester Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge

Town of Chester Community Preservation Fund Signed into Law I’m proud to announce that Governor Kathy Hochul signed NY State Legislative Bill S277A / A2022 on Friday, October 17th, 2025. This bill allows Chester’s residents to vote to establish a Community Preservation Fund that can be used to acquire development rights of open space, parklands, farmlands, trail rights-of-ways, agricultural and conservation easements, stewardship planning, recreational development, and preserving historic sites. Revenue from a real estate transfer tax would be the primary funding mechanism to preserve priority properties with willing landowners. We will be seeking to put this on the next possible ballot for voter approval to officially establish our community preservation fund.

The Town of Chester has tried since 2019, with broad public support, to get this bill signed into law. By the time I took office as a freshman Town Councilman in 2022, many were pessimistic of the bill ever making it through the bureaucratic gauntlet. I made it my mission to work with anyone and as long as it took to make this dream a reality. A coordinated effort from local organizations and residents advocating for its passage, as well as support from Senator Skoufis and Assemblyman Maher in the NY State Legislature, all helped to get the bill across the finish line. In addition, Councilman Bob Courtenay and I undertook an aggressive lobbying campaign this year with the Governor’s office, which ultimately paid off in convincing her staff that, like other Hudson Valley communities, the bill should finally be passed for Chester.

This is the beginning of a new day in Chester. I’m confident the public will still have the same enthusiasm to vote yes on a referendum, to officially establish our first community preservation fund, as soon as we are able to put it on a ballot. The work won’t end there, but this is the most important step in the direction of preventing over-development from harming the beauty, cost-of-living, environment, and character of our town.

To mark the occasion, we are hosting a press conference on Monday, October 27th, at 11AM to speak about the passage of this bill and the importance of voting in favor of the future referendum that is required to officially establish the fund. Please join us at Knapp’s View (1640 Kings Highway, Chester, NY 10918) on Monday. Residents, advocacy groups, and the press are all welcome!

If you have any questions about this bill, the press conference, or anything else related or not, please reach out to my office anytime.

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