$607M Amazon Project Issues
Aired on Sept. 10 Public Hearing
SLATE HILL, NY—The fate of the controversial $607-million Amazon distribution center could be determined tonight (Wed., Sept. 10) at a public hearing of the Wawayanda Planning Board.
Two months after some believed it was dealt a death blow by the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals, Scannell Properties’ plan to build a 3.2-million/sf Amazon distribution center re-emerged on Aug. 13 before the Town of Wawayanda Planning Board, seeking a height exemption the developer says it can be granted under the Town Code. The Planning Board at the end of the session approved a request by Scannell to schedule a public hearing on its amended site plan.
On June 12, the Town of Wawayanda’s Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously (4-0) to reject a needed height variance for the Amazon project. While some observers indicated the project was killed by the ZBA, neither Amazon nor Scannell officially withdrew the project.
Instead, Scannell officials told the Wawayanda Planning Board on Aug. 13 that Town Code 195-13 specifically allows for a project to be granted a height exemption if its fire-fighting capacity is sufficient and if its property buffers are greater than required. He said the project meets both requirements of the Town Code.
L. Todd Diorio, president of the Hudson Valley Building Trades, which has supported the project in the approval process, told CONSTRUCTION NEWS that building trades representatives will be attending the Sept. 10 public hearing and testifying in favor of the project. The Construction Contractors Association of the Hudson Valley is another of a number of business and economic development groups that have supported the Amazon project.
At press time, Michael Sussman, an attorney and Democratic candidate for Orange County Executive, is attempting to organize opposition to the project. He had scheduled a meeting on Mon., Sept. 8 at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Middletown to “organize and stand up to the corporate takeover of our communities.”
Published: September 10, 2025.