Maybrook supports Galaxy annexation

By Connor Linskey
Posted 3/17/21

Montgomery Town Board members, Maybrook Village Board members as well as town residents spoke highly of the Galaxy Project at last Monday’s joint public hearing.

Galaxy Limited has …

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Maybrook supports Galaxy annexation

Posted

Montgomery Town Board members, Maybrook Village Board members as well as town residents spoke highly of the Galaxy Project at last Monday’s joint public hearing.

Galaxy Limited has petitioned for the Village of Maybrook to annex a property of approximately 82.9 acres of mostly wetlands in the Town of Montgomery. This land lies to the southeast of the village and includes the former Maybrook rail yard. One parcel lies west of Barron Road and the other east of State Route 208.

The developer proposes a business park that is up to 695,500 square feet of business, commercial, industrial or warehouse space with direct railroad access as well as access to I-84 via State Route 208. A road will connect the business park to Maybrook via Henry Henning Drive.

After a lengthy State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) process, the Maybrook Village Board adopted a negative declaration, meaning that the project would not have significant adverse environmental impacts.

The petition adds that if annexed, the business park would be serviced by water and sewer from the Village of Maybrook.

If the property is annexed it would lead to an easier taxing structure. All of the taxing jurisdictions would be in the Village of Maybrook. Another benefit of the project is that it would create approximately 550 new jobs. This project would drive traffic into downtown Maybrook, causing an uptick in sales for local businesses. In addition, the project would also create a path to Stewart State Forest, which is currently inaccessible from Maybrook.

Montgomery Town Supervisor Brian Maher had positive remarks about the project.

“I think it does make sense for this all to be in one municipality,” he said. “In terms of annexation, we’ve set a precedent during my administration already with the Village of Walden and we’re entertaining in the Village of Montgomery annexations that make sense to support the village tax bases. The town tax bases are really vibrant and diverse and we want to make sure that our villages have that same kind of economic opportunity.”

Village of Maybrook Trustee James Barnett hopes that the land for the project is annexed into the village.

“It’s a very important part of moving Maybrook forward...,” he said. “It’s gonna be a wonderful project for the residents of our village and I think it’s something that moving forward will lead to greater economic development in our village.”

Following the public hearing, the Montgomery Town Board and Maybrook Village Board will decide to accept or reject the annexation petition at their subsequent board meetings.