Costco Hearing in Yorktown Draws Hundreds
Several hundred residents and interested parties crammed into the Nutrition Center of the Yorktown Community and Cultural Center Monday night for a spirited public hearing on the proposed Costco Wholesale Club on Route 202.
More than 60 people signed up to speak, and by the smattering of applause from the standing room-only crowd it appeared opponents and proponents of the project were equally represented.
“We view this as a necessary and critical part of the approving process,” said Yorktown Planning Board Chairman Richard Fon as he outlined the parameters of the hearing, which was supposed to be limited to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. “We will be listening very carefully.”
Costco representatives emphasized the increased taxes the 151,000-square-foot store would generate for Yorktown ($92,000), the Yorktown School District ($613,000) and Westchester County ($92,000) annually, along with 200 permanent full-time jobs and 350 construction jobs during the estimated 18-month building phase on the 18.75-acre site.
“We have an opportunity here to bring jobs to Yorktown. We have an opportunity to bring several hundreds of dollars in taxes,” said Yorktown Chamber of Commerce President Joseph Visconti. “This company will be here for a long time. They’re making a major multi-million investment in Yorktown. In this economy, we should welcome that.”
Phil Grealy, a Yorktown resident and traffic engineer for Costco, touted the $2.5 to $3 million in traffic improvements Costco would make to 202, which would compliment $7 million in improvements planned by the state Department of Transportation along the corridor.
“We have an applicant here who recognizes traffic has to work,” he said. “We’re looking at taking care of a major bottleneck.”
However, not everyone viewed the project with rose colored glasses. Jennie Sunshine of Ravencrest Road questioned the impact of Costco on police, fire and ambulance services, pointing to a letter from Yorktown Police Chief Daniel McMahon who referred to it as “unfavorable” to the force, projecting it would result in 106 police calls annually.
Meanwhile, Tim Miller, a well known traffic consultant who said he had been retained by 20 citizens in Yorktown, took issue with the proposed 12 pump gas station for Costco members that he claimed was not permitted in the C-3 Zone.
“It’s astounding to me that this project is even before you,” Miller said.
Charles Monaco said he was looking forward to Costco after passing by a store in New Rochelle and seeing the 29-year-old megastore was selling gasoline for 30 cents less per gallon than stations in Yorktown.
“I think the Costco project will be very beneficial to the growth of the 202 corridor,” he said.
Former Councilman and 50-year resident Tony Grasso agreed, saying Yorktown taxpayers needed more commercial rateables to lessen the burden.
“I believe the choice is simple,” he said. “Unless we balance the equation, we as a community will fail.”
Because of the large crowd, the Planning Board kept the public hearing open for a future meeting.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
