Residents were angered when they saw trees being cut down as well as dirt and stone being piled up on land across the street from them on Barron Road in the Town of Montgomery. This is the site of a proposed 240,000-square-foot warehouse.

Patrick Sandhage, who lives across the street from the proposed project, claimed that there was no notice sent to any residents about construction taking place. Among his concerns were the 24/7 nature of the proposed warehouse. The project is surrounded by nearly 10 properties who would all be affected by the noise of the business.

“It’s gonna be one big plot of land for such a small place,” he said.

Sandhage noted that the wetland and animals who reside on the site might be injured by the construction. He added that if the warehouse were built on the wetland it would cause water levels to rise.

During the week of Feb. 2, Sandhage noted that about 15 trucks and excavators came back and forth to cut through a road and nine noise-monitoring devices were seen. The work continued through Thursday, Feb. 6 when Central Hudson brought construction to a halt.

Central Hudson spokesman John Maserjian said Galaxy had built an access beneath electric transmission towers and under a transmission line before getting a license. They are currently going through a license application.

Donald Liloia, senior vice president of Galaxy Limited, said all the work done is an environmental analysis, which is required as part of the planning process. He believes that the project would help the Town of Montgomery.

“Well I think jobs would be one component of that,” he said. “I think ultimately, development works to benefit the community, not just the landowners.”

Galaxy Limited, is the owner of the approximately 33-acre parcel situated between Barron Road and Bracken Road. Galaxy and its principals have been a part of the Town of Montgomery community since the early 1970s. They previously employed local residents at their former APA trucking terminal on Neelytown Road, which remains an active trucking facility. Galaxy has owned the Bracken Road property since 1983, when they acquired it and several other properties, which comprised the former Maybrook Railyard.

The parcel was divided from the other properties when Interstate 84 was constructed. However, the parcel continues to border on the Middletown and New Jersey Railroad’s freight line. Near the Barron Road frontage, Central Hudson holds easement rights over a 225-foot wide portion of the parcel and has installed a high voltage power line over Galaxy’s property.

Though Galaxy has owned and paid taxes on this industrially zoned property for decades, they have not sought to market and redevelop it until now. There are new opportunities for the property’s use, presented by a combination of factors, including the strong economy, e-commerce boom and the increasing awareness of the benefits of access to more sustainable and efficient forms of transportation, like railroads.

The Town of Montgomery Planning Board is presently reviewing an application, known as Galaxy – Montgomery North, for a site plan and special exception use for the parcel. Galaxy claims that all aspects of the proposed development are consistent with the current zoning code.

The proposed project consists of the construction of a 240,000-square-foot building. This structure will be served by a private well for potable water and the Town of Montgomery for sewer and fire suppression water. Due to the residential development that has occurred in nearby areas, Galaxy is concentrating the proposed development of the property towards the existing rail line and Bracken Road.

As part of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) process and environmental due diligence, the applicant to date, has prepared a conceptual site layout plan, performed a traffic impact study of the surrounding roadways and intersections, conducted a 24-hour noise study, completed a visual analysis, performed infiltration testing for the proposed storm water management facilities and submitted a cultural resources study to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to which stated that there are no further concerns regarding archaeological and historic resources for the project.

The site has also been walked by a representative of the Army Corp of Engineers to confirm the wetland boundary that was flagged by a certified wetlands specialist. Galaxy is currently performing maintenance on an existing Central Hudson Gas & Electric access drive from Barron Road that exists within a utility easement on the property, so that a well rig can enter the site without causing unnecessary erosion to the land and drill a well that can be tested to assure potable water is available for the future property use. This access is not within any of the flagged wetlands. The use of the access for environmental testing is temporary. Once the well is drilled, a 72-hour, fully staffed pump test will be performed on the well.

Comments about this application may be sent to Fred Reichle, Chairman of the Town of Montgomery Planning Board at 110 Bracken Road, Montgomery, NY 12549 or Suzanne Hadden, Planning Board Secretary at (845)-457-2643 or shadden@townofmontgomery.com. Galaxy is also offering to meet with nearby residents to discuss the project in detail. Liloia hopes that the project takes shape.

“We think it’s a good project,” he said. “In the end it will be a benefit to Montgomery.”