Another warehouse project

Complex proposed near Lake Vue Drive in Montgomery

By Laura Fitzgerald
Posted 6/5/19

A proposed warehouse complex near the intersection of Bracken Road and NYS Route 17K has prompted concerns from residents of Lake Vue Drive.

Located on the southwest side of the intersection of …

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Another warehouse project

Complex proposed near Lake Vue Drive in Montgomery

Posted


A proposed warehouse complex near the intersection of Bracken Road and NYS Route 17K has prompted concerns from residents of Lake Vue Drive.


Located on the southwest side of the intersection of NYS 17K and Bracken Road, the approximately 18-acre property will be subdivided into three lots. Lot one consists of 5.5 acres and will house a 74,050-square-foot warehouse. Lot two consists of a five-acre lot and contains a 59,640-square-foot warehouse. Lot three consists of a seven-acre lot and is proposed for a 1,000-square-foot office building, according to Town of Montgomery planning board documents.


The site also includes a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)-designated inactive closed landfill for construction and demolition debris. In a letter to the planning board, Maser Consulting, P.A., stated either some of the DEC-required reports or compliance inspections of the landfill were not complete. There will be no disturbance within the landfill.


Several residents voiced concern at the public hearing over visual, traffic and noise impacts.
One concern among several residents is the proximity of the project to BereaElementary School and an increase in truck traffic in the school-pedestrian area.


“Are you willing to risk any child’s life at that elementary school because there is an accident because a truck is going too fast?” resident Patty Abatangelo said.


Lake Vue Road resident Cheri Zahakos said the area is especially dangerous for children who congregate at a bus stop on the corner of 17K and Lake Vue Drive.


Zahakos said an increase in traffic on 17K is a concern because with the current amount of traffic it is already difficult to turn onto 17K.


There is one access drive from NYS Route 17K and two accesses from Bracken Road for the proposed project. While no end-user has been identified, the project will generate more than 40 semi-trailer truck trips per day, according to the project Environmental Assessment Form (EAF). The project also includes the addition of 107 parking spaces.


Zachary Peters, principal with MNTM Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C., said there will be 10 loading bays for trucks on one building and 17 bays on another.


Town of Montgomery planning board chair Fred Reichle said the planning board has erected signage with all projects on Bracken Road prohibiting truck traffic onto 17K, instead instructing trucks to travel through NYS Route 208. Maser recommended prohibiting truck traffic from exiting through the 17K access and stated requirements for sight distance at the intersection of 17K and Bracken Road are not met.


Another concern among the crowd was the visual impact of a warehouse next to the residential street of Lake Vue. Residents were concerned about having their viewshed impacted by a warehouse and having those visiting the warehouse seeing into their homes and backyards.


“I am one of those homes directly across the street, looking at it, out of my bedroom windows with a pool. I will never use that pool again knowing there will be strangers, possibly mobile strangers, staring at my family barbecuing,” Zahakos said. “You will, if you allow this proposal to go forward as is without some major consideration, cause an enormous loss to me and my home and my quality of life.”


The project includes grading and landscape improvements to shield the buildings from existing homeowners. The landscaping plan includes 42 deciduous trees, 57 evergreen trees and a variety of approximately 300 evergreen and deciduous shrubs, according to planning board documents.


Permitted projected hours of operation during construction are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, according to the EAF. Hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.


Reichle said the board has the power to set hours of operation.


A continuation of the public hearing will be on June 24 at 7:30 p.m. at town hall, 110 Bracken Road.