Typeset from the PDF of the official document (read by OCR) — headings, motions and recorded votes are detected automatically, so spacing may differ from the original. The official copy governs.
Ranalli Super DC, LLC
August 25, 2021 The Public Hearing of the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency, held on this day, Wednesday, August 25, 2021 at the Town Hall, Town of Lysander, 8220 Loop Road, Baldwinsville, New York was called to order at 10:00 am by Public Hearing Officer Nancy Lowery. ATTENDEES:
Nancy Lowery, Public Hearing Officer Rob Helfrich, Baldwinsville Connie Russell, Baldwinsville Jill Swayne, Baldwinsville Wayne Weiss, Baldwinsville The Public Hearing was conducted regarding the application and project described as follows: Ranalli Super DC, LLC
Location: 8626 & 8652 Oswego Road & 2200 Hencle Blvd Town of Lysander Tax map no. 055.01-19.1; 055.-01-20.0; 055.01-18.0
Notice is hereby given that a public hearing pursuant to Section 859-a of the New York General Municipal Law will be held by the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency (the “Agency”).
Public Hearing Date and Time: August 25, 2021 at 10:00 A.M.
Public Hearing Location: Lysander Town Hall, 8220 Loop Road, Baldwinsville, New York. For assistance or questions regarding the public hearing please contact the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency.
The public hearing is being held in connection with the following matter:
Ranalli Super DC, LLC, a New York limited liability company (the “Company”), has submitted an application (the “Application”), on behalf of itself and/or entities formed or to be formed on its behalf, to the Agency, a copy of which Application is on file at the office of the Agency, which Application requests that the Agency consider undertaking a project (the “Project”) for the benefit of the Company and/or entities formed or to be formed on its behalf, said Project consisting of the following: (A)(1) the acquisition of a leasehold interest in ail or a portion of approximately 123.96 acres of real property located at 8626 Oswego Road, 8652 Oswego Road and 2200 Hencle Boulevard (tax map nos. 055.-01-19.1; 055.-01-20.0; 055.-01-18.0) in the Town of Lysander, Onondaga County, New York (the “Land”); (2) the construction on the Land of an approximately 364,000 square foot facility (the “Facility”); and (3) the acquisition and installation therein and thereon of related fixtures, machinery, equipment and other tangible personal property (collectively, the “Equipment”) (the Land, the Facility and the Equipment being collectively referred to as the “Project Facility”), which Project Facility is to be leased and subleased by the Agency to the Company and further subleased by the Company to United Auto Supply of Syracuse, West, Inc. (the “Operating Company”) to be used as a warehouse, distribution and retail center of auto parts; (B) the granting of certain “financial assistance” (within the meaning of Section 854(14) of the General Municipal Law) with respect to the foregoing, including potential exemptions from certain sales and use taxes, real property taxes, real estate transfer taxes and mortgage recording taxes (subject to certain statutory limitations) (the “Financial Assistance”); and (C) the lease (with an obligation to purchase) or sale of the Project Facility to the Company or such other person as may be designated by the Company and agreed upon by the Agency.
The Company will be the initial owner and/or operator of the Project.
The Agency has not made a decision with respect to the undertaking of the Project or the granting of the Financial Assistance.
The Agency will at the above-stated time and place hear all persons with views in favor of or opposed to the Project and/or the Financial Assistance. A copy of the Application including a cost/benefit analysis is available at the office of the Agency for review by interested persons. A copy of a recording of the hearing will be available on the Agency’s website.
Public Hearing Officer Lowery asked if anyone had any comments in favor of the proposed project. There were none.
Public Hearing Officer Lowery then asked if anyone wanted to speak in opposition to the proposed project.
Robert Helfrich: I live here in Baldwinsville and the application that is provided on the public website is dated June 7, 2021. It is of my opinion that this correct project no longer applies to the existing approved project and needs to be updated. It is not a 364,000 square foot warehouse that has been approved. It is a 360,000 square feet. It is not phase 1 of a million square foot warehouse. The town approved no phases just strictly a 360,000 square foot warehouse. It doesn’t include, the town did not approve a retail operation as well which is provided within this application so it is my suggestion that the application needs to be rewritten provided and at that point provide any additional comments regarding any financial project cost and cost benefit analysis because obviously what is provided within the application is not consistent with what has been approved by the Town of Lysander.
Public Hearing Lowery then asked if anyone wanted to make any general comments about the proposed project.
Connie Russell: I grew up in Baldwinsville, left, came back. Have been living here for 20 years in the same house. I live somewhat near Rob. We use Hencle as a main way so we don’t have to go through Baldwinsville every time and this has been a bone of contention. We’ve watched the mishandling of this right from the get go and the conscious for this project is Rob. He is the only one that’s really stood up every time and said that’s wrong or this is wrong or you’ve misspoke or whatever and this is become something that just, especially this year when our assessments dramatically for our houses and yet this place wants $6,000,000 tax abatement. This doesn’t sit well with our community. I know our neighbors have all spoken up too and they just work. I mean we are retired but his has gotten to be insane and if you look at that corner and the traffic on it and the type of traffic this would be so congested. It is going to end up going through Baldwinsville and already one of our neighbors was struck by an 18 wheeler trying to make a turn at that 4 corners. No, I don’t like this project at all. I don’t like hearing the constant traffic on that road including the motorcycles and the speed demons and the trucks that don’t abide by the stop sign. It’s gotten to be insane and to think that this project is still sounding like they want to go for the 1,000,000 square foot really rides wrong. And the wetlands. It is a valuable piece of land. It has a purpose in our community. The rains we have had recently have proven that and they just want to tear it up and build this huge building for what? It’s like why didn’t they pick a building near 81 and 690 intersections? Why did they pick Baldwinsville? I don’t understand what is going on here and why they have behaved as they have. They have had two stop and decease because they were building while they hadn’t even gotten the approval from the DOT. Who is giving them this approval to build while it hasn’t even been approved? It’s been a very sneaky procedure and we are all fed up with it. I’m sorry but this has not left a good impression on any of us. It isn’t a positive to the community. It is a total negative. Thank you.
Jill Swayze: I live at the corner of Smokey Hollow and Kellogg. We will be affected. We are very concerned about our water. At one of the meetings presented a statement on that. I don’t feel it has been addressed really. If they contaminate our water then what do we do. We are all on wells. The water comes through there. The aquifer comes right through where they are building. If you live north of where they are building, your changes are pretty good your water is going to be contaminated by them. Then what are they going to do for us. Say, sorry too bad. What do we do? Wayne Weiss: Jill and I co own the property at Kellogg and Smokey Hollow Road, the corner. In relationship to where we are and to where the building is, it is less than actual mile in distance. I know the area very well and it’s wooded. It’s totally wet and almost impossible to build in there. The height of that field is the same as what the lowest spot in my property is and we have a federal wetland finding that we can’t build there. We can’t disturb the earth there. It’s ok. We don’t mind that but that is where our, water is so close to the surface, we have a pond. This used to a giant tobacco farm as late as the 50’s, We have a pond in our back yard. It is actually a dug pond. It’s actually the top of the aquifer so when we look out the window, our house is 12 feet above that, we look down we can see the top of the aquifer and we know when the rains are down and there is no water, it drops. We also know you can’t go below 60 feet if you dig a well because you are going to run into salt. They are trying to tell us, the town engineer lied in a statement. I sent a letter to them. He said oh no the aquifer is down 60 feet and besides the aquifer itself isn’t there. Well if the water may not have started or originated there, but it goes through, it goes north. We all know our water comes from the south, people that live north of this area. This is another thing I am going to mention. You will notice over there on the map, those purple areas that have been changed to industrial. That was supposed to be forever green up in there. They changed that to industrial, the same day the put the application in for the building and I still haven’t seen a report from the DEC saying that the water is not going to be affected. It has to be. I don’t know how they could possibly think that they could just dig up the top of the ground and not hit water. Everyplace around there, if you do, usually when you make a project like that in Clay or Lysander or any of these areas around here you have to make a pond to show it. The idea is you can’t take away wetland and not replace it with a lake or something like that. They are not going to even consider that. The other thing that is really bugging me, they have taken the, they were told they couldn’t have a road opening or a gate opening to Hencle Boulevard. The first thing they did was start there and they started laying land stone down and digging it all up. I still haven’t seen a final ok and they are down there all the time. They were there yesterday when we went to the fair and they were digging away and making additional in roads in the back. The area in the back is very wet, just north. It’s very wet. I didn’t realize this until recently that they put in an offer to acquire more land for the project. So I don’t know what’s going on there. This is very strange how the whole thing came out. And at the same time what did they do? They reassessed us. We have to pay a higher tax rate now. Most of our people that live out that way are retired or older families and we don’t have a lot of houses out there. It is not tracked. These are regular cultural and at some point about 20 years ago or so we put up an effort to get them to put a pipeline in from OCCRA and it was blocked. They were going to help us out. That was when the Town Supervisor lived in Radisson and he didn’t want to hear it. Oh we got our water and we got our sewer, but you guys, you don’t get this. They said so you can go and try and do it yourself. Well of course the people out there aren’t rich. They are just pretty much middle class houses up there. Yeah there is probably a few people that are rich up there but there is not a lot of them up there like that. Most of those places up that area too, that land is flat. There are no large hills. We are messing with the flood plain. You are not supposed to be doing that. This is supposed to be land that is left alone, not to be developed. But if they are going to develop it they better make other plans about what they are going to do for the people that live there. And this craziness that you would give somebody a tax abatement. You would say oh no you don’t have to pay taxes, as a matter of fact we will even give you a little extra back. Why? The guy is making money. If his company can’t make money then don’t come here. We are all paying. We are people that are limited. Most of us probably our household is less than $60,000 a year and we have to pay taxes on our land. Yeah, and they hit us pretty good. Believe me they do. Pma veteran and I’m old and I get a break for that but there are other people out there that are still in their 50’s and they are paying full shot. Thank you.
Public Hearing Officer Lowery asked if anyone else had any comments. There were none. The Public Hearing Officer also noted that written comments concerning the project had been received as of August 25, 2021. The comments are kept on file and available for public viewing at 333 West Washington Street, Suite 130, Syracuse, New York.
The notice for Public Hearing has been read. The opportunity for comments for and against the proposed project has been noted. There being no further business, Public Hearing Officer Lowery closed the hearing at 10:27 a.m.
By: VL 6 Qn
Nancy Lowery,Public Hearing’Officer y