Regeneron reduces logistics building, board hears debate over retaining temporary parking and truck routing

Regeneron and its consultants presented a revised proposal to the Greenburgh Planning Board on June 17 that reduces a previously approved 136,000‑square‑foot, four‑story logistics building to a one‑story facility of roughly 37,500 square feet.

Janet Garris, the applicant’s attorney, told the board the change cuts disturbance within the wetland buffer and reduces tree removal and steep‑slope impacts compared with the originally approved plan. “This is an improvement of the previously approved plan in that it’s a substantially smaller building,” Garris said.

Project engineer Steve Spina showed overlays comparing the approved and proposed footprints and said wetland buffer disturbance drops from about 0.82 acres to 0.75 acres; he described design choices intended to limit grading and retain existing paved areas when feasible. Spina said the proposed truck routing would concentrate larger deliveries at the new building and use smaller vans to distribute goods across the campus, reducing large trucks on interior campus roads.

The bulk of the board’s questions focused on whether portions of the campus that were built as “temporary” parking lots should be restored as originally approved or retained as useful infrastructure. Deputy Commissioner Schmidt noted staff’s earlier expectation that some temporary lots would be removed and restored, and asked why the applicant now proposes to keep certain lots in place. Garris and Spina said the lots were built to permanent standards, provide valuable staging and contractor parking during years of ongoing construction across the campus, and that Regeneron wants flexibility for future phases.

Town traffic consultant John Canning joined on Zoom and walked members through truck turning and routing observations; he recommended the board seek clear engineering evidence on grade and turning radii where staff questioned feasibility. Canning said a straighter connection across a small green area would reduce route complexity but acknowledged it could require substantial earthwork and removal of recently built retaining walls.

Board members asked for additional materials: imagery of existing retaining walls, a disturbance and grading comparison for the “cut‑the‑corner” option, and more detail on truck turning and long‑term use of the large temporary parking area. Deputy Commissioner Schmidt said staff would follow up and that the planning office had advised Regeneron to provide those supplemental exhibits.

The board voted to issue a non‑objection to the town board acting as lead agency for environmental review. No final site‑plan approval was granted at the meeting; applicants will return with the requested technical clarifications.