Developers of the Food Bank of Hudson Valley, a distribution center being built on 574 Route 416, returned to the Village of Montgomery’s planning board last Wednesday, August 28 to update the board on its latest progress, answer questions about the site’s recent amendments, and work toward receiving approval for additional truck parking.

During the village’s July 31 planning board meeting, the food bank’s developers requested a lot line extension that would provide more parking and unloading space for the facility’s food delivery trucks. Marcia Jacobowitz, project manager of the food bank, explained that she and her team underestimated the space needed for the delivery trucks and emphasized that the extension would not increase truck traffic in the area. She also mentioned that five to six trucks would deliver food to the facility weekly, while the project’s Environmental Assessment Form (EAF) from February 2023 stated only four trucks weekly.

At the end of that meeting, the planning board requested the developers to address four items before the public hearing in August: Explain the discrepancy between the truck deliveries mentioned during the meeting and in the EAF, write down the height of the facility’s water storage tank in the project’s plans, receive a NO Hazard letter from the Federal Aviation Administration, and update the project’s Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). Since that meeting, the developers updated their SWPPP, noted the water tank’s height, and revised their EAF with an explanation for the truck discrepancy.

During public comment, resident Don Berger, while in favor of the food bank, felt that some aspects of the development process, such as the need for truck parking and a water storage tank, were very sudden additions that should have been brought up much sooner. He speculated that this situation could create a precedent in which the planning board gives future applicants too much leeway over their projects.

“The site plan approval process was in January of 2023, so I always get a little hesitant when applicants bring something new like increased trucks. We sat here during the process of the food bank and talked endlessly about the trips that were being taken,” Berger said. “They get their approval, now they’re coming back and saying ‘Well we need more trips and more trucks.’ I feel that’s slighting the residents, because how many residents know that they’re here for an additional approval process? Why did they skip that during the original process of the site plan?”

“And here they’re having a water tower. Where did this water tower come from? There were months of discussion about the village bringing water in. How did we get to a water tower?” he continued. “I’m very hesitant when things like that happen, it’s just not very upfront, and I just wish things would be upfront.”

In response, Jacobowitz provided an explanation similar to the one she gave to the board last month: as she and the developers worked on the facility over the last few years, they came across problems that they did not foresee and are addressing them the best they can. As mentioned, the developers recently discovered that the site was tight and needed more space for parking, something that was not immediately clear to them when they began construction. She noted that, while truck traffic would not increase, the weekly truck trips may vary slightly given the growing demand for food distribution.

“Things come up, things are discovered, things are realized, and we’re trying to address those things that have been realized in the distribution of the food to the people that are hungry,” Jacobowitz said. “As we have constructed, we see that it’s going to be incredibly difficult for the trucks to get in and situate themselves in a way that the food can be put on those trucks, and then the trucks leave the premises. That’s when we started looking at some additional space.”

Jacobowitz also stated that the water tank was a requirement in case of a fire and that the tank’s sewer lines would be used by village residents and businesses.

“Regarding the water tank, not a tower, that required a process of hooking up to the village system. That had been fully discussed, evaluated, and analyzed,” she continued. “There are fire suppression needs that can’t be met because of the pressure. It’s a huge cost and the result of an engineer saying that, if there’s a fire and we need to suppress it, we need to have the tank there.”

Planning Board Chairwoman Amy Frisbie asserted that both the board and applicant have been transparent about the facility’s planning process and that the board would uphold its regulations. She mentioned that the board may also monitor the site’s traffic and noise once the facility begins operation.

“I would just like to say that this board is going to do their due diligence to make sure that this is done as appropriately as it’s deemed necessary,” Frisbie said. “The amended EAF that we received from the applicant has not indicated additional truck traffic or trips per se from the original application. But one of the discussions that we started to have as a board is potentially working with the applicant for some post-operational monitoring to ensure that EAF is accurate.”

Village Trustee Randi Picarello appreciated the concerns about the truck traffic but noted that not all delivery trucks entering the facility will be tractor-trailers or semi-trucks, but rather vans and other smaller vehicles driven by volunteers.

“I’ve been going to the food bank and the food pantry a lot, and my understanding is that only a few semi-trucks are coming in, and then it’s box trucks, vans, and all kinds of smaller vehicles,” Picarello said. “It’s not the jockeying of all these different semi-trucks and tractor-trailers.”

Village Trustee Kevin Conero also suggested that the board could work with the food bank to route the trucks away from the village. Jacobowitz was unsure if this could be done but said she would check in with the applicant about it.

“One of the things that you might want to do when you amend the site plan is make the trucks take a left out of the site and not through the village,” Conero said. “Those trucks are Food Bank of the Hudson Valley trucks, so the company can redirect their drivers to not make a right.”

At the end of the discussion, the planning board voted to adjourn the public hearing until September 25. The board did not approve the project’s lot line change or amended site plan at this time and wants to further consider how the additional parking would affect village traffic, as well as determine if the village’s ongoing water moratorium would affect the project. The developers also still need a NO Hazard letter from the FAA.