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Senator Skoufis Seeks Veto Of $80 Million Amazon Warehouse PILOT
State Senator James Skoufis (D-Cornwall) has asked a state-appointed monitor to veto a 15-year, $80.2 million property tax break for Amazon’s 3.2 million square foot warehouse proposal in Orange County, characterizing the Orange County IDA’s approval as “a massive, unwarranted giveaway by any objective standard.”
In a letter dated October 24th to Orange County IDA State Monitor Brian Sanvidge, Skoufis urged Sanvidge to veto the approval, which if vetoed would return the proposal back to the IDA for reconsideration. Skoufis wrote that the action by the IDA Board of Directors was a violation of the Agency’s Uniform Tax Exemption Policy (UTEP).
Skoufis said the IDA Board failed to consider the quality and salary of jobs projected to be created, onsite childcare requirements, public support or opposition, impacts on the environment, and the need for additional municipal services to support the project.
The project will create 750 full-time jobs within three years of completion and up to 2,400 local construction jobs, according to a third-party economic impact study. The IDA secured $1.5 million in cash payments for the Town of Wawayanda and up to $1 million to fund the construction of a new ambulance bay as part of the negotiations. According to IDA documents, Amazon will save $80,208,325 based on the 15-year PILOT agreement. It will be required to pay $56,854,801 to the various jurisdictions under the PILOT.
Skoufis said that the warehouse project does not require public subsidies to move forward.
Neither Skoufis’s office nor Sanvidge’s office have made public any actions taken in response to Skoufis’s letter.
The Orange County Industrial Development Agency has also recently been criticized for hiring Albany-based lobbyists Brown & Weintraub Advisors for $100,000 in a meeting that excluded the state monitor.
Sanvidge notified New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang on Sept. 30 of statutory violations by the IDA when directors barred Sanvidge from an executive session and voted on the $100,000 retention of Brown and Weinraub Advisors.
“The IDA is spending $100,000 in public funds to do away with oversight because they want to operate like the Wild West,” said Skoufis. “They want zero accountability to taxpayers and want to line the pockets of every corporation that walks through their doors.”
Regarding the Amazon PILOT, Skoufis said, “My message to Amazon is the same now as it has been throughout this process: Pay your damn taxes!”
Quickway Expansion Plans In Orange & Sullivan County Being Reevaluated
A plan to upgrade a 30-mile stretch of Route 17 in Orange and Sullivan counties into a six-lane interstate highway has been put on hold after complaints from transportation planners and environmentalists who argued the project is wasteful, unnecessary, and environmentally unsound.
The project was estimated to cost the state at least $1.3 billion while saving drivers between one and six minutes in travel time. The NYSDOT said expanding the highway would reduce crashes, though it also acknowledged the reduction could also be achieved by lowering speed limits.
Groups like 17-Forward-86, a coalition of more than 200 local businesses and trade groups, support the project, saying the two-lane highway, originally built to take congestion off local roads, limits population growth and stifles economic development.
But not everyone was on board with the expansion. The Catskill Mountainkeeper, a nonprofit whose mission is to protect the region’s natural resources, opposes expansion, arguing expanding the highway will lead to more cars and increased pollution.
It points to “induced demand” – a concept akin to a self-fulfilling prophecy, that widened roadways do nothing to ease traffic, they simply lead to greater usage and additional traffic.
Catskill Mountainkeeper is also concerned with the project’s environmental impact. With more traffic lanes and more cars, millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions could be released, according to the group. The group says the DOT should evaluate the project’s impact in accordance with the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Project Act.
The Regional Plan Association, an independent non-profit civic organization that develops and promotes ideas to improve the economic health, environmental resiliency, and quality of life of the New York metropolitan area, also points out that the project undermines the state’s environmental goals and is inconsistent with a variety of plans including the landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019.
The Natural Resources Defense Council has also weighed in in opposition, saying: “Expanding Route 17 is not only at odds with the state’s climate law but would be inconsistent with other state laws and federal transportation requirements. Indeed, since the Route 17 expansion would rely on federal monies and approvals, the proposed project would also run afoul of several national, climate-related transportation policies.”
In a statement issued on October 2, Department of Transportation spokesperson Jim Rusak said that while the department still considers the project “vital” to the Hudson Valley and is “fully committed” to it, “more time is needed to re-assess the project alternatives in consideration of feedback received.” The state is considering several options for the project, including expanding the highway in specific locations, adding another lane along the entire stretch, or performing minimal safety-focused maintenance.
“I think it’s great, and credit to DOT for being flexible in their thinking,” said Rachel Weinberger, a transportation researcher and planner at the nonprofit Regional Plan Association. “I thought this was just going to be a more straightforward ‘We build highways,’ but this DOT is showing that it’s got more depth and nuance.”
Before the recent pause, the project was slated for completion in 2030.
Open Space Institute Protects Minnewaska State Park Preserve’s Iconic Verkeerderkill Falls
The Open Space Institute (OSI) acquired Verkeerderkill Falls—the highest waterfall in the Shawangunk Region and one of the most spectacular natural features in New York’s Hudson Valley. OSI’s protection of the Verkeerderkill Falls property, which includes the 187-foot waterfall and 134 acres of surrounding land, permanently secures public access to this iconic location and fills a crucial missing puzzle piece in a mosaic of protected lands at Sam’s Point.
The Falls property is accessible via a six-mile round-trip hike from the Sam’s Point Visitor Center at Minnewaska State Park Preserve. The newly completed acquisition sets the stage for OSI’s next phase of the overall project: a series of trail upgrades at the site.
“There’s simply no place quite like Verkeerderkill Falls. It’s a true natural treasure!” said Erik Kulleseid, OSI president and CEO. “But this is more than just protecting land—we will be taking this project to the next level with a trail enhancement project that will make it safer for people to experience the wonder of the Falls, while safeguarding the fragile and rare landscapes surrounding the trail.”
OSI’s acquisition was generously supported in part by RunWild, a nonprofit organization which raises funds for land conservation and stewardship in the Hudson Valley through trail races and other community activities. RunWild donated $205,000 toward the protection of the land and upcoming trail improvements.
The project is part of OSI’s long-term efforts to expand and improve Minnewaska by safeguarding scenic views, protecting rare and endangered wildlife habitat, and other efforts to welcome and educate visitors.
Through multiple transactions over 30 years, OSI has more than doubled Minnewaska in size, growing the park from 10,400 acres to more than 24,000 acres today. OSI has added more than 10,000 acres to the Sam’s Point area of the park alone, including the permanent protection of the famous Ellenville ice caves. Minnewaska is the third-largest state park in New York. Beyond land conservation, OSI has engaged in numerous projects to improve Minnewaska for visitors, including the restoration of more than 15 miles of its Victorian-era carriage road network and raising more than $3 million for the design and construction of the world-class Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center, which opened in 2020.
About Minnewaska State Park Preserve
Just 90 minutes from Manhattan, Minnewaska is one of the most popular state parks in the Hudson Valley, attracting more than 520,000 visitors in 2024. Situated atop the dramatic Shawangunk Ridge, which rises more than 2,000 feet above sea level and is surrounded by rugged terrain, the park preserve features panoramic views of the Hudson Highlands, Catskill Mountains, and farmlands in the Wallkill and Rondout Valleys. Minnewaska also features numerous waterfalls, three crystalline sky lakes, dense hardwood forests, and sheer cliffs and ledges, which have made the site famous as a world-class rock-climbing location. Additionally, the site offers more than 35 miles of carriage roads and 50 miles of footpaths on which to bike, walk, and hike.
