By Lisa Pillivant — Warwick Valley Dispatch
GOSHEN, N.Y. — Orange County leaders have notched a tangible win for residents: the Legislature has approved $600,000 for an engineering and design study to convert the long-vacant Camp LaGuardia into a public park. The vote moves the property from decades of stalled ideas into a real planning phase geared toward trails, open space, and family-friendly recreation.
A milestone years in the making
County officials have wrestled with the future of Camp LaGuardia since buying the approximately 258-acre site, which straddles Blooming Grove and Chester, from New York City in 2007. Earlier redevelopment pushes—commercial, office, residential—never advanced. The new direction embraces a passive park model, akin to Orange County’s flagship in Montgomery, and centers on quality-of-life benefits for residents.
The design funding builds on a multi-year effort to stabilize and secure the campus. In 2024, county lawmakers approved $5 million for razing unsafe structures, asbestos abatement, and site security; the prior year, committees advanced $1.5 million to begin securing the grounds. That sequencing—secure first, design next—reflects a deliberate strategy by county leadership to turn a costly liability into a community asset.
County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus has publicly framed Camp LaGuardia as the county’s next major park buildout, referencing the scale of Thomas Bull Memorial Park and emphasizing preservation and recreation as core goals.
A cleaner site with stronger regional connections
The park plan dovetails with Orange County’s partnership with the Open Space Institute (OSI) on the proposed 9–10 mile Schunnemunk Rail Trail, linking Camp LaGuardia toward Salisbury Mills/Moodna and connecting to Goosepond Mountain and Schunnemunk State Parks. OSI purchased the railbed and transferred it to the county in 2024, positioning Camp LaGuardia as a natural trail hub for walkers, cyclists, and families.
Photos: Images show current conditions at Camp LaGuardia and OSI’s rail-trail corridor that will connect the site to regional parks and communities.
What the new funding delivers
The engineering/design study will:
- Prioritize demolition of unsafe buildings, plan site access and parking, and map trails and amenities;
- Address environmental and code compliance to ensure shovel-ready phases;
- Produce cost options for a passive park that complements existing county park assets.
The road so far—Timeline at a Glance
1918–1930s: Built as Greycourt women’s prison; converted to “Camp LaGuardia” farm colony/shelter.
- 2007: Shelter closes; Orange County purchases property from NYC.
- 2023–2024: County funds multi-million-dollar cleanup and security.
- 2025: Legislature approves $600,000 for design—launching the park planning phase.
Why it matters—for residents
If realized, a Camp LaGuardia park would reclaim a historically significant, highly visible property for public use, link communities via an expanding trail network, and convert an eyesore into a long-term open-space asset—a rare second act for one of the county’s most debated sites.
Transforming Camp LaGuardia replaces an eyesore with open space, safer grounds, and new low-cost recreation options. It also strengthens the county’s trail network and local economy by drawing visitors to nearby towns and businesses—all while preserving a historically significant site once known as NYC’s largest men’s homeless shelter (closed 2007).
Have historical photos or memories of Camp LaGuardia? Send tips and images to the Dispatch for a community photo gallery and follow-up feature.
