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Neighbors press Planning Board over traffic, safety and wetlands as public hearing opens on 56,000‑sq‑ft Pomarico warehouse
Summary
A proposed 56,000-square-foot warehouse on Pomarico Drive drew hours of public comment May 1 as residents warned the project would worsen congestion on Route 17K and narrow private roads; the Planning Board closed the hearing but left environmental review open and is accepting written comments through May 12, 2025.
The Town of Newburgh Planning Board heard more than two hours of public testimony Thursday night during a public hearing on a proposed 56,000‑square‑foot warehouse by Avion Ventures on Pomarico Drive.
Justin Dates, representing the applicant, told the Board the project would include a 56,000‑square‑foot building, six loading docks and about 34 parking spaces, with water and sewer extensions and a pump station for sanitary flow. "The applicant is proposing a 56,000 square foot warehouse facility," Dates said as he described site utilities and stormwater plans, including two bio‑retention areas intended to meet New York State DEC and Town requirements.
Residents who live on Pomarico Drive and in nearby Colden Park raised repeated concerns about traffic, safety for children and school buses, the ability of the narrow private road to handle trucks, and whether truck queuing would block local driveways and adjacent businesses. "The narrow road ... I know, I visit my friend ... and you're going to widen it after the fact," said Vanessa Tirado, a resident who described the corridor as already congested and hazardous. Several speakers cited past problems tied to the nearby Pilot truck stop and asked the Board to consider cumulative traffic effects from multiple projects in the corridor.
Ken Wersted, the Board's traffic consultant, said the project's traffic mitigation — including widening Pomarico Drive to 24 feet and a proposed 190‑foot left‑turn lane on Route 17K — will require New York State Department of Transportation review. "Ultimately the Planning Board could approve something on private property, but if it comes in and connects to a State highway, we also need the State to approve that," Wersted said. NYSDOT review and a highway work permit are conditions of any changes to the state highway.
Pat Hines of MH&E flagged DEC freshwater wetlands on the parcel and said the applicant will need a DEC wetland permit; the project remains under SEQRA review. Hines told the Board there are outstanding technical comments on the stormwater pollution prevention plan and that the Board should be copied on permit applications to other agencies.
Dominic Cordisco, the Board attorney, advised the Board it could attach conditions requiring the applicant to implement site‑maintenance protocols for the private drive — for example, plowing, pavement repair and litter control — and that those conditions could be enforced through the site plan. The applicant agreed to provide a maintenance protocol and other clarifications in subsequent submissions.
After hearing testimony from many residents and receiving technical reports, the Planning Board voted to close the public hearing but to leave the environmental review open and accept written comments for 10 days. The motion, made by Ken Mennerich and seconded by Lisa Carver, passed on a 7–0 roll call. The Board set the written‑comment deadline for May 12, 2025, while NYSDOT and DEC reviews are still pending.
What happens next: the applicant will respond to outstanding technical comments and to the Board's request for a maintenance protocol; the Town will wait for NYSDOT and DEC responses as part of the ongoing SEQRA review. Written public comments will be accepted through May 12, 2025.
