|
RCBJ-Audible (Listen For Free)
 |
Village of West Haverstraw Accepts “DEIS” Environmental Statement from Grassy Point Bend Wholesale Storage and Warehousing Facility
By Tina Traster
In March 2023, Howard Phillips, who is both the Chairman of Rockland Green and the Town of Haverstraw Supervisor, was asked how a proposed 454,000 square-foot warehouse across from 427 Beach Road would impact the then-proposed animal shelter that was slated to be converted from a vacant warehouse.
Phillips’ response to the concerned citizen who raised the question at a Rockland Green board meeting was “the project had been denied its permits.”
Not only was that not true – but Phillips had also publicly said that project would never happen.
The Village of West Haverstraw’s Planning Board last week voted to accept the applicant’s DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Statement), which is an official, comprehensive document used in government planning to disclose and analyze potential environmental, social, and economic impacts of a proposed development, infrastructure, or construction project
Eric Bergstol, the applicant for Grassy Point Bend Wholesale Storage and Warehousing Facility, is planning to build a 24/7 truck distribution center on 30 acres on top of an uncapped contaminated construction landfill across a narrow road from the proposed shelter site.
The contaminated construction landfill has been closed since August 1993.
Under the Village code, the use is allowed as of right in the Planned Light Industrial (“PLI”) zoning district and is consistent surrounding uses, including warehouses on Beach Road and Ecology Lane and the adjacent wastewater treatment plant on Ecology Road. Moreover, the project would be sited near other industrial uses such as the Bowline Power Plant and surrounding accessory uses, and nearby landfill uses such as the closed Town of Haverstraw landfill, which is adjacent to the planned animal shelter, Rockland Cares.
The application has been before the village for years, which means those who greenlighted the animal shelter on Rockland Green’s board would have had to take the applicant’s plans into consideration.
The proposed animal shelter sits between two landfills that, according to the developer’s expert at Boswell Engineering of Hackensack, New Jersey, leach heavy metals in the water table beneath the warehouse that Rockland Green is transforming into a $20 million animal shelter.
“This has been before the board since 2022,” said Terresa Bakner, the attorney from Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP of Albany, who is representing landowner Eric Berstol in 2024. “We have been providing information to the board, the Village, Rockland County, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and other agencies.”
The DEIS says adaptive reuse of a closed landfill has economic and environmental benefits. The project will redevelop a 34-acre site that was formerly a construction and demolition (C&D) debris landfill.
A public hearing on the Draft EIS will be held on August 12, 2026 at 7:00 pm at 130 Samsondale Avenue, West Haverstraw, NY. Written comments on the Draft EIS will be accepted until September 10, 2026.
“By constructing a 454,000 plus square foot warehouse, the project ensures the landfill is properly capped and monitored, transforming a non-productive brownfield into a productive use” the DEIS says, “This adaptive reuse aligns with state and local goals for brownfield redevelopment and brings both environmental remediation and economic revitalization to the area.”
The DEIS identifies potential impacts on geology, soils, groundwater, air quality, plants and animals, aesthetics, noise, and public health. Key mitigation measures include: Enhanced capping and dynamic compaction of the landfill, stormwater management with a lined wetland pond and bioretention basin, air and landfill gas monitoring during and after construction, installation of a vapor intrusion barrier, construction of a sound wall and vegetative screening to protect nearby residences These measures are designed to prevent contamination, control runoff, reduce noise, and ensure long-term site safety, according to the DEIS.
The high-stakes project raises several concerns including noise, truck traffic on narrow flood-prone roads, the proximity to the train crossing on Route 9W, and the fact that the applicant says it does not have a specific tenant.
But the DEIS says a detailed Traffic Impact Study found “the warehouse will not cause significant adverse impacts to local traffic or intersection operations,” though this is one of the issues that residents most hotly dispute. The statement says the site is designed with adequate access, parking, and turning radii for trucks and emergency vehicles.
The project is expected to generate up to 240 operational jobs and 180 construction jobs, with negligible increases in demand for police, fire, and medical services. There is access to public and sewer. The facility will meet fire safety codes.
Area variances are sought only for building height, parking, and landscaping on steep slopes, which the applicant says are consistent with modern warehouse standards and the need for effective screening.
The proposed vegetative parcel is demarcated by a residential neighborhood to the west, a flood-prone road to the south (Beach Road/Railroad Avenue), and the skinny Ecology Lane to the north, which will serve as the egress and ingress for trucks coming and going from the warehouse 24/7. The project will be sited less than 160 feet from the entry to the proposed county animal shelter Rockland Green hopes to build on Ecology Lane in a vacant warehouse.
Given the proximity to Rockland Green’s animal shelter, the developer says it has included mitigation efforts to prevent potential disturbances to the animals, including minimizing nighttime truck activity on the northern portion of the project site and closing the Ecology Lane access point at a certain hour (though not specific) to prevent disturbance to the animal shelter.
The applicant, if it receives a green light to go forward, says it will install muted backup alarms to prevent additional noise disturbances to the shelter. A potential south wall with sound adsorption applied to the wall and building side facing the animal shelter could reduce disturbances as well.
The project needs approval from NYSDEC and local agencies, addresses impacts on noise, visual resources, and traffic, and emphasizes safety, energy efficiency, and community benefits, with no significant adverse effects expected, according to the DEIS..
To the east of the property is the Minisceongo Creek, which frequently floods the area and raises issues over runoff.
The DEIS also says there will be long-term monitoring. The project includes long-term monitoring of groundwater, landfill gas, and the integrity of the landfill cap.
Also, the project incorporates energy-efficient building design, EV charging infrastructure, and dark-sky compliant lighting. The stormwater system is designed for future climate resilience, handling 100-year storm events.
Berstol is collaborating with New Jersey developer Efrem Gerszberg to build the proposed $60 million to $80 million warehouse.
The Draft EIS is available at 130 Samsondale Avenue, West Haverstraw, NY, 10993, and online at: https://www.westhaverstraw.org.
