Jehovah Witnesses Seek To Build In Rockland County

MAHWAH, NJ – A proposal to build a large audio-visual production center for the Jehovah Witnesses is being considered in Rockland County, NY.

The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society seeks to develop a 1.5 million-square-foot facility on a 250-acre Sterling Mine Road tract in Ramapo, about 10 miles away from Mahwah, the Times Herald Record reported.

The proposal for the center – which would be used to create publications and videos distributed by Jehovah Witnesses – was prompted by demand for the materials, the report said. About 1,000 people would live and work at the center, which would also include residences, offices, a fitness area and a visitor center for the public.

If approved, the group plans to consolidate existing media production offices at the new location, according to a summary of its 2019 annual meeting in Newburgh.

The goal "is to begin construction in 2022 and complete it by December 2026," the summary said.

In 2016, the Jehovah Witnesses relocated its headquarters from Brooklyn to Warwick, the Rockland Business Journal reported. There's also several production offices located in Orange County.