Local Amazon dispute still on
Neighbors of planned Schodack facility keep options open to win environmental review of project
Amazon is showing no sign of abandoning plans to build a $100 million fulfillment center in the town of Schodack after the online retail giant backed out of a $3 billion deal with New York state to build a massive new headquarters in Long Island City.
And a local neighborhood association isn’t giving up its fight, either.
The Birchwood Association, a group of Schodack homeowners who live next to the Route 9 site where Amazon is planning to build the one-million-square-foot distribution center, is planning to keep fighting for an in-depth environmental study of the project, which was OK’D by the town Planning Board last July.
Last month, Rensselaer County state Supreme Court Justice Patrick Mcgrath dismissed a law- suit that the neighborhood association filed against the town seeking to reverse the Planning Board’s vote until a lengthy environmental impact statement could be completed.
The group believes that the board didn’t adequately study the project’s potential impacts on drinking water, traffic and public safety.
The neighborhood association, which includes about 50 homeowners, will press on with its case despite the setback.
“Birchwood filed a notice to appeal on Feb. 6,” said Robert Jansing, the association’s vice president. “The notice reserved our right to appeal. We are committed to fighting for the safety of our aquifer, our residents and our roads that are traveled by all.”
That notice was filed a week before Amazon jolted state economic development officials by backing out of the Long Island City deal that was expected to create as many
as 25,000 jobs. Amazon cited local opposition to the project for its change of heart. Amazon had already planned to put half of its HQ2 in Arlington, Va.
There is no indication that the split over the HQ2 in Queens will have any impact on Amazon’s plans in the Capital Region. The Schodack fulfillment center is actually being built by a developer called Scannell Properties that would own the land and lease the massive building to Amazon.
And it is Scannell that is seeking $13.7 million in state and local tax relief for the project from the Rensselaer County Industrial Development Agency, although a final application has not yet been submitted. The facility would employ 800 people, and Amazon would spend tens of millions of dollars to equip the facility with sorting equipment and robotics.
Bob Pasinella, the Rensselaer County IDA’S executive director, said Scannell was waiting for the Birchwood Association lawsuit to be decided in state Supreme Court in Rensselaer County until moving forward with the final application. Scannell was a defendant in the lawsuit along with the Schodack Planning Board.
“As of right now, they’re committed to the site,” Pasinella said Monday.
It’s unclear how Scannell and Amazon will proceed with the IDA application process with a potential appeal of Mcgrath’s decision down the road.
A Scannell spokesperson declined comment Monday.
The Schodack facility was originally expected to be completed by the end of this year. Scannell hasn’t even purchased the 113 acres of vacant land off Route 9 where the center would be built.
It’s unclear if Empire State Development, the state agency that negotiated with Amazon on the HQ2 deal, is prepared to offer additional state incentives to build the Schodack facility.
Amazon also appears to be behind a project in the Orange County town of Montgomery that is code-named Project Sailfish, and some have speculated that Amazon may be deciding between the two sites or hoping to get approvals and tax breaks for both.
Bluewater Development Partners, the developer of Project Sailfish, is seeking $4 million in state assistance for site and infrastructure costs from Empire State Development, but the money so far has not been awarded.
Bluewater also completed a 4,400-page environmental impact statement for the town of Montgomery similar to the document that the Birchwood Association wants Scannell to complete for the Schodack project.
Rachael Lighty, an Amazon spokeswoman, said the company wouldn’t comment on speculation when asked if Amazon will move forward with either the Orange County or Rensselaer County projects.
“The company is constantly investigating new locations to support the growth and increase the flexibility of its North American network to address customers’ needs,” Lighty said. “However, Amazon is not yet commenting on any specific plans in New York.”