Amazon warehouse project in Wawayanda back on track, sparking outrage over $80M tax break
Originally published in
News 12 Westchester
on
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A massive Amazon warehouse plan that was previously denied in the Orange County town of Wawayanda is back - and so is the controversy surrounding it.
The proposal calls for a 3.2-million-square-foot distribution center on roughly 100 acres near McBride Road, Hoops Road and Route 6, just outside of Middletown. If built, it would be one of the largest warehouse projects in New York state.
State Sen. James Skoufis, who represents the area, says Amazon effectively found a way around the town’s original denial.
“Somehow, someway the applicant, Amazon, basically did a work-around here,” said Skoufis. “I’ve never seen a planning board be able to do that.”
Skoufis says the project also received an $80 million tax break from the Orange County Industrial Development Agency, the county board that provides business incentives.
“This is a multitrillion-dollar company headed by the second-richest man in the world asking us to subsidize their tax bill,” said Skoufis.