The Town of Montgomery’s September 27 planning board meeting opened with a public hearing for Real Deal Management’s warehouse, a project proposed for Bracken Road that’s sparked extensive comments and discussions.

Justin Parizano, the applicant’s representative, reported that he and the developers have submitted written responses to the public and board’s comments, spoke with Chief Matt Hunt of the Coldenham Fire Department regarding fire safety standards, and read the board’s ecological review.

“There have been minor, if not any, changes to the plan. We added a few evergreens at the request of the board and some fire corrections…the project has remained consistent with what you’ve seen over since the onset of it,” Parizano said.

In response, Planning Board Chairman Fred Reichle stated that the town’s noise consultant would send the developers a noise review soon and apologized for its delay.

“I’ve spoken with our noise consultant, and you should have something fairly quickly on that on his review,” Reichle said. “I’m not going to say what day, but we are getting information from him as we speak.”

During public comment, Joe Keenan summarized several comments concerning the project’s fire code, noise complaints, loading docks and lighting impacts. Using his car as a metaphor, he asserted that the building should have limits on its size.

“I have a daily driver, 2014 Focus. My speedometer goes up to 140 miles an hour. Now I own that car, I pay insurance on that car, I do maintenance on that car, but I can’t drive 140 miles an hour. Why? It’s not safe, it’s against the law, it’s better to drive at the speed limit. And I think there needs to be limits on this building; it’s too big like my car could go too fast,” Keenan said.

Brenda Sandage, a resident, stated that RDM’s warehouse is not suitable for a residential area and that the board will jeopardize residents’ well-being if they approve this project.

“As members of the board, you have the responsibility to promote the health, safety and welfare of all citizens. And if you approve this, I don’t feel that you’re considering any of those things for the residents that are going to have to live near this monstrosity,” Sandage said.
“We don’t have a need for it, we don’t want it and that should be sufficient enough for you to decline this project,” she added.

Connor Eckert, senior development officer and vice president of business attraction of Orange County Partnership, extended his support for the project and complimented the planning board for their work on it.

“We’re just at a position where we think it’s a quality project. You guys have done a great job of pushing it in a direction it needs to go, and you’ve done it year after year, quality projects, taking big projects and turning them into assets,” Eckert said to the board.

Dave Everett, a member of RDM’s land use council, agreed with Eckert’s stance and added that the warehouse already has a tenant.

“One of the benefits of this project is there actually is a tenant, as we’ve represented before. They are a medical supply distribution company, they have other facilities in the tri-state area, they really like this location,” Everett said.

Isaac Newman, one of RDM’s principals, warned the board that the project may lose its tenant if the town’s noise consultant does not submit his noise study soon.

“We’re talking about noise consultants taking over four months to send something that can take just several weeks to perform…that lack of urgency is putting this tenant in a stressful situation, we could potentially lose this tenant if there is no approval,” Newman said.

“I urge this board to try and reach out to that consultant, urge that consultant to please understand that there is a tenant on the line here that could potentially come into a town who needs a project to be approved,” he continued.