Montgomery prepares for moratorium

Town Board drafts moratorium document to present Thursday night

By Connor Linskey
Posted 1/22/20

At a special meeting last Tuesday, the Montgomery Town Board agreed to draft a six month moratorium on the construction of warehouses/distribution facilities larger than 100,000 square feet.

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Montgomery prepares for moratorium

Town Board drafts moratorium document to present Thursday night

Posted


At a special meeting last Tuesday, the Montgomery Town Board agreed to draft a six month moratorium on the construction of warehouses/distribution facilities larger than 100,000 square feet.

The decision came following months of residents speaking in favor of a moratorium. Several spoke further about their support of a moratorium during an open public discussion at the special meeting on Tuesday.

Don Berger, representing the citizen’s group Residents Protecting Montgomery, urged the board to pass a moratorium, as it would give them time to figure out what is best for the community. He advocated for a land use approval moratorium. This is designed to keep the status quo while planning and zoning changes are made. By enacting a land use moratorium, the local government would temporarily suspend the landowners’ right to build and obtain development approvals while the community considers adopting changes to the town’s comprehensive plan. This is critical, as the Town of Montgomery’s comprehensive plan has not been updated since 1988.

In addition, one of Berger’s major concerns with the construction of warehouses in the Town of Montgomery is those who support them. Those in favor of these warehouses include representatives from Orange County Partnership, Orange County Economic Development, Goshen and Albany, none of whom are residents of the Town of Montgomery. Berger added that many residents of the Town of Montgomery who have come before the town board are against these projects. He believed that the town board should rule in favor of a moratorium, since it is their job to serve the interests of the residents.

“It is imperative that we get a moratorium. You have to expedite this thing,” Berger said to the board. “Don’t wait another month to have your next meeting, get it on the table. We need to get this done now.”

Nina Snyder, a resident of the Town of Montgomery, is also in support of a moratorium. The town already has an abundance of warehouses and an industrial corridor. She was disappointed that local, county and state lobbyists have come to the town’s board meetings promoting warehouses, while neglecting pressing issues such as quality of life, current congested traffic, need for upgrades on water and sewer as well as protecting the Wallkill River. Like Berger, she believes that the outdated comprehensive plan leaves the town vulnerable to those who want to build more warehouses.

“In the past it was important enough for this town to enact a moratorium on solar projects,” Snyder said. “Well, what we have before us now is exponentially beyond that. We are under siege and we need a moratorium now.”

During the moratorium discussion, several residents spoke in favor of the warehouse projects. They support the projects, as they will bring both businesses and jobs to the Town of Montgomery. In turn, the jobs would attract residents to the Town of Montgomery.

“I’m against a moratorium because it will hurt the town’s reputation as a place for business,” said Nick Fitzpatrick, a resident of the Town of Montgomery.

After hearing all of the feedback from residents, the town board made a decision to draft a six month moratorium on the construction of warehouses/distribution facilities larger than 100,000 square feet. Town Supervisor Brian Maher noted that during his election campaign, he spoke with many residents and an overwhelming number of them expressed concerns about the warehouses. The board did not want to shut down construction of all warehouses because that would eliminate many jobs. They felt a need for a moratorium but believed it should be well thought out.

“I’ve lived here all my life, I’ve seen this town grow a lot. I think we have to grow it smartly, but I don’t think we can shut it down totally,” said Councilwoman Cindy Voss. “There’s a lot of people who live and work here.”

The draft of the six month moratorium will be prepared for the town board meeting on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. where it will be discussed.