Local opposition to the enormous warehouse proposed by Modena Developers, LLC for 2021 Route 44/55 in the Town of Plattekill is kicking into high gear. About 70 interested citizens turned out for an organizational meeting hosted at the Gardiner Town Hall on Thursday, May 30, and most of them heeded organizers’ call to join a subcommittee and come up with a plan of action. The meeting was facilitated by Tom Kruglinski, although not in his familiar official capacity as former chair and longtime spokesperson for the Gardiner Democratic Committee.
The group, now calling itself Stop the Modena Mega Warehouse, has boosted its online presence from a Facebook group to a dedicated website,
http://stopthemegawarehouse.com. There, a “Know More” tab offers visitors access to a Google Drive folder where pertinent documents are being uploaded, such as the applicant’s traffic study, issued in January 2023 by GTS Consulting.
Traffic impacts are a major concern of project opponents, especially since the warehouse site is located on a hilly stretch of road with poor sightlines, far from access points to major roadways. Some 32 of the rural site’s 50 acres are slated to be developed, including up to 15 acres of impervious surface, with a 116-space parking lot. The proposed 451,050-square-foot warehouse will cover nearly ten acres with a single structure. Its 75 tractor/trailer loading docks are meant to handle arrivals and departures of 270 trucks per day, over a 12-hour period, according to the GTS traffic study. Some opponents argue that the actual number of truck trips may be much higher, pointing out that no prospective tenants have yet been identified by the applicant.
Environmental impacts are also an area of concern for neighboring residents. Set amidst apple orchards nearby Plattekill’s Cole-Hasbrouck Farm Historic District, the proposed warehouse site consists of forest, meadow and federal- and state-designated wetlands, and functions as a recharge area for a significant aquifer. An existing pond is slated to be filled in.
Creating a central information clearinghouse is a significant step for project opponents, who have been plagued until now by difficulty of access to official application documents. Unlike some other nearby municipalities, the Town of Plattekill does not post links to such materials on its website, although copies can be obtained by submitting a FOIL request.
One of the lingering mysteries regarding this project was clarified during the information segment of last Thursday’s meeting, presented by Gardiner Town Board member Michael Hartner. Local residents monitoring the application process have been puzzled by Plattekill’s repeated cancellations of special meetings that were supposed to be dedicated to discussion of the project, and removal of the topic from the agendas of other meetings of the town and planning boards. According to Hartner, Modena Developers, LLC recently replaced their attorney with Albany-based Whiteman Osterman & Hanna, LLP, which “delayed the process” while the new law firm got up to speed, reviewing the application — and presumably studying the Plattekill zoning code. The town is currently in Phase II of a rewrite of its comprehensive plan.
Another mystery very much on the minds of opponents is the identity of the applicant. Modena Developers, LLC is based in the Town of Chester in Orange County and has been represented at past Plattekill Planning Board meetings by spokespersons for architectural firm Keystone Associates. Rumors were flying at the meeting that the applicant may be connected to Zigmund Brach, controversial developer of major residential projects in Monroe and Kiryas Joel. In recent years, Brach has been tied up in protracted litigation over his proposal to build a large warehouse facility in New Windsor, dubbed Stewart Hill Industrial Park.
Finding out the answers to such questions will be part of the to-do list of the research committee established at the organizational meeting. The subgroup will also work to build the case for the project likely having significant environmental impacts, when it comes time for town officials to conduct a State Environmental Quality Review. The issues of similar large warehouses going out of business in many places, and what needs to be done to ensure that the site is cleaned up in such places, are also of concern to the research committee.
Together with the government/legal committee, it will also determine what needs to be done to prepare to file an Article 78 lawsuit if the town should make an “arbitrary and capricious” negative SEQR declaration. Mastering the ins and outs of Plattekill zoning law as it currently stands will be primarily the government/legal committee’s responsibility. Several attendees mentioned that the applicant’s plan to build a structure 50 feet in height will require a variance from the code’s 35-foot limit, which means that Plattekill’s Zoning Board of Appeals could be the next big battleground.
Additional committees will focus on communications, financial/fundraising and events, whose areas of activity seem likely to overlap to a considerable extent. Coordination of the organization will be done by a steering committee.
Among those in attendance at the meeting and expressing their support were a number of southern Ulster County officials, including Town of Gardiner supervisor Marybeth Majestic. Glenn Gidaly, Gardiner’s liaison to the Ulster County Planning Board (UCPB), reported that UCPB had reviewed the application for the warehouse and was “not thrilled… There were a lot of omissions by the developer.”
Ulster County legislator Debra Clinton (D-16, Gardiner/Shawangunk) said that both she and her colleague, Kevin Roberts (D-12, Plattekill), are on board with the opposition, which Clinton emphasized must be spearheaded by Plattekill residents. Gabi Madden, candidate for the Democratic nomination to represent State Assembly District 103, was present and declared her support, saying, “The project is on my radar.”
The various committees of Stop the Modena Mega Warehouse are all in the process of scheduling their next meetings and assigning tasks to volunteers. A listserv has been created that will send weekly e-mail updates to anyone interested in joining up, which can be done by filling out an online form at http://stopthemegawarehouse.com.
Join the family! 
