West Haverstraw – Residents are raising concerns about a proposed 454,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility planned for a former construction and demolition debris landfill in West Haverstraw, as the project continues through the village’s environmental review and approval process.
The proposed Grassy Point Bend Wholesale Storage and Warehousing Facility would be constructed on approximately 34 acres near Beach Road, East Railroad Avenue and Ecology Lane. Plans call for a large warehouse with accessory office space, truck loading docks, trailer storage, vehicle parking, lighting and other infrastructure.
The property is located within the village’s Planned Light Industrial zoning district, where warehouse uses are permitted. However, the developer is also seeking zoning variances related to building height and the number of parking spaces.
The West Haverstraw Planning Board previously determined that the project could have significant environmental impacts, requiring the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act, commonly known as SEQRA. The Planning Board accepted the Draft Environmental Impact Statement earlier this summer, allowing the environmental review process to move forward.
The proposed site presents an unusual development challenge because it was previously used as a construction and demolition debris landfill. The developer proposes to cap the landfill as part of the project and has outlined measures intended to address landfill gases, groundwater, stormwater runoff and other environmental conditions.
According to project documents, mitigation measures include an enhanced landfill cap, landfill gas monitoring, stormwater management systems, a vapor intrusion barrier and measures intended to reduce noise and screen the development from neighboring properties. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement examines potential effects involving geology, soil, groundwater, air quality, plants and wildlife, noise, aesthetics and public health.
Residents and others who have expressed concerns about the project have focused heavily on truck traffic, noise and the warehouse’s proximity to nearby homes. The property borders a residential neighborhood to the west and Minisceongo Creek to the east. It is also near Rockland Green’s animal shelter property.
Plans have called for the warehouse to include 76 truck loading bays and operate around the clock. No specific tenant has been identified for the facility. Traffic has been a significant part of the review because trucks traveling to and from the warehouse would use local roads before connecting with the larger regional road network.
Supporters of redeveloping the property have pointed to the environmental work that would accompany construction. Project representatives have argued that redevelopment would provide a way to properly cap and monitor a landfill that has remained closed for decades while returning the property to productive use. The developer has characterized the proposal as an opportunity to combine environmental remediation with economic redevelopment.
The project has been under consideration by West Haverstraw officials for several years. Documents submitted in connection with the application state that wholesale storage and warehousing are permitted uses within the Planned Light Industrial district and that other industrial operations are located nearby. The applicant has also proposed landscaping, screening and other design measures intended to reduce impacts on neighboring residential properties.
The environmental review does not itself constitute final approval of the warehouse. The project remains subject to the village’s land-use review process and other applicable regulatory approvals, including issues involving the former landfill site.
Written comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement are being accepted through Sept. 10, giving residents and other interested parties additional time to submit concerns or information for consideration as the review continues.