Super-Sized Supermarket Planned on Route 119

On June 4, at the Glenville Fire Department, some 50 local citizens listened carefully as Mark Weingarten, a lawyer from the White Plains firm of Del Bello, Donellan, Weingarten, Wise & Wiederkehr, LLP, explained in detail what is currently planned for the property next to the Sheraton Hotel at 600 White Plains Road (Route 119).

imagesWeingarten was careful to note that this meeting was an unofficial gathering, but one that was key in keeping the public up to date on what is being built in one of the last remaining spaces available along Route 119. Pending a Zoning Code petition to the Town of Greenburgh, local developer White Hickory LLC intends to construct a 75,000 square foot Super Stop and Shop supermarket, plus approximately 50,000 square feet in office space. In addition, there will be 15,000 square feet of general retail use, and 8,600 square feet of free-standing commercial space which could be used for a bank or restaurant.

There was general agreement that a much larger Stop and Shop was needed in the area, indicating that the current one, located at the corner of Rt.119 and South Broadway, has always been somewhat small. What was less obvious was the amount of traffic that could be brought into the area by the new complex. Weingarten was specific in his assessment that the traffic flow to and from a supermarket would not be as dense as for an office building and would be spread out over the day more so than with an office structure.

The current thinking by the developer would be to place the new structure back from the road so that green space would prevail, rather than putting it near the main road at the front of the property. The area that includes the current Stop and Shop has been mentioned as a possible new railroad stop coming off the bridge on the way from Tarrytown to New York City.

Members of the Greenburgh Town Board were also present at the meeting. That Board is acutely aware, as are all the river-town boards, of the dwindling amount of building space left in each of these towns. Added to that concern is the general problem of traffic patterns which are becoming increasingly complex as the process continues. The next step will be to begin the official "scoping" procedure which, under NY State SEQRA laws, must precede all formal fact-finding information for the project itself. Weingarten put no estimate on beginning this process, but did indicate that there could be several more public meetings before formal proceedings took place.

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About the Author: Arnold Thiesfeldt