The Village of Montgomery’s March 4 meeting featured an important update on the KSH project: Village Mayor Mike Hembury announced that he would halt the proposed warehouse development for the time being until the applicant pays off its $57,000 bill.

Originally submitted to the planning board in 2019, the KSH project comprises two 60,000-square-foot warehouses and two 80,000-square foot warehouses proposed for Route 211 near Union and Weaver Street. Many residents have voiced concerns with the project over the last few years, asserting that the four warehouses would diminish their quality of life in the village. Following an 18-month hiatus, the project’s developers returned to the planning board in late October 2024 with a new noise study.

For any given project, an applicant must send the village planning board their project plans and documentation for review. The planning board shares these plans with the village’s consultants, who evaluate the project’s impact on the environment, water, noise, and other aspects. Following their evaluations, the consultants send review fees to the village, which the applicant normally pays.

The KSH project, given its scope, has undergone numerous studies and reviews since its submission. However, as Trustee Kevin Conero explained during the meeting, the applicant has not paid their review fees since 2022, leaving the village with a cumulative bill of $57,000. Conero stated that he never experienced this situation during his time on the planning board.

“I’ve noticed that a lot of bills that we have to pay are for the KSH project,” Conero said. “And I noticed that along the time frame here, from approximately 2022 to 2025, we haven’t received money back. We’re looking at a $57,000 balance that this applicant hasn’t paid; the $57,000 is what they owe us.”

“To me, it’s not sustainable for our small village to be able to pay this kind of money for these review fees. These bills are from our engineers, our water consultants, and our sound analysts,” he continued. “Any of our consultants that look over the project sends us bills, and the applicant needs to pay for them.”

Hembury, frustrated with the circumstances, asserted that he would shut down the KSH project until the applicant pays their consultant bills. He felt that the applicant was taking advantage of the village and its residents, and he stressed that no one can get away with evading their bills.

“If they haven’t paid us, then that’s it. I’m not going to sign anything that will let them go any further, because this will eventually wind up on our laps,” Hembury said. “They owe us $57,000, so we’re not going to let them do anything. No other house or business would get away with this. We’re just little people here paying our rent.”

“I’m shutting this down, it’s been a headache from the beginning, and they’re not going to take advantage of us,” he continued.

During a post-meeting conversation on March 9, Hembury confirmed that the project was paused and would not move any further in the planning process until the applicant fulfills their obligations with the village and the New York State DEC.

“This project will be the last big development in this village. If we don’t move forward with this correctly, we’ll be haunted by the decision forever,” Hembury said last Sunday.

On that same day, Conero stated that the village attorney and project attorney are currently discussing the applicant’s owed payments. He added that, for future projects, the village will set up an Escrow account between applicants to avoid a similar situation.