Upscale garden center proposed for Sugar Loaf

Chester — A gift shop and emporium of upscale gardening products may soon transform the appearance of Sugar Loaf’s northern entrance. Matt and Ronnie Horn, who already have a spacious garden center in Rockland, are proposing to dress up the property where The Caboose is now located and use it as a retail outlet and sales office. They are now leasing the property with an option to buy. The new business will sell shrubbery, but the Horns emphasize it will not be a nursery and they will not grow plants on-site. Customers are expected to order direct-delivery items from the Rockland store when they want to purchase substantial quantities of flowers, trees, shrubbery, or mulch. The couple appeared before the Chester Planning Board for the third time earlier this month. While they received a warm reception from the board, they got quite a grilling from the Sugar Loaf Community Foundation during a public hearing last week. Dorian Dehan-Rossi of the Chester zoning board said representatives of the community foundation had met at the office of the county executive, Edward Diana, and are close to announcing a master plan for the development of Sugar Loaf. She said they want to be sure the project conforms with the plan so that the owners do not go to unnecessary expense of undoing work that may not be in conformance. The sidewalks to be installed in Sugar Loaf and the look of the hamlet’s entrance are among the issues addressed by the master plan, Dehan-Rossi said. The Horns described their plans for landscaping the site, which will include a garden walkway that they hope will make the entrance to the hamlet more attractive. They said they have received beautification awards for their Rockland business. As the foundation members warmed to the project, they said, “We just needed to get a dialogue going.” The site, including the winding walkways, will be handicapped accessible, with the exception of the caboose building itself, where a handicapped person would need some help. A buffer of large potted trees in redwood boxes will line one side of the property. They will intermingle with potted shrubbery for sale along the pathway on the other side. The Horns’ Web site, www.matterhornnursery.com, includes views of the gardens at their Rockland facility and a list of their awards, along with some gardening tips.