Murphy lauds Costco approval

CROMPOND, NY - In January 2010, local business owner Dr. Terrence Murphy took his seat on the Yorktown Town Board once being elected in a then-record landslide after having campaigned on taking a pro-business approach to local government. That same month, a group representing a developer for Costco presented preliminary plans to build a $60 million development on the site of an abandoned motel along Route 202.

Five years later, following a concerted effort to clear roadblocks to the development by Murphy, now a State Senator, and other local officials like Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace, the project has finally been approved and can now break ground. The project also includes $3 million in off-site developments to benefit local roads and stormwater retention. It received unanimous approval from the Yorktown Planning Board Monday.

Although progress had stalled for a time due to the outcome of local political elections leaving Yorktown short two-board members for nearly eighteen months, Murphy hailed today's approval of Costco as a sign of great things to come. "In less than five years, working collaboratively with fellow business owners, we have ushered in $300 million in projects that will have an overwhelmingly positive impact on our community despite the spiraling economy," he said.

"From the multi-million dollar redesign of the Jefferson Valley Mall and creation of Crompond Crossing and Crompond Terraces, to Costco, we are finally getting northern Westchester open for business," Senator Murphy said. "For years, others told people why they couldn't. We have shifted the paradigm to tell people how they can."

Murphy highlighted how Yorktown's Route 202 corridor, notorious for rush hour traffic concerns and which had become populated by empty storefronts prior to his taking office, will be receiving the finishing touches on its facelift in the months ahead. As a board member, Murphy had previously secured funding for projects along the Taconic Parkway and midway down the corridor, with the two lane road being expanded to allow for a more consistent flow of traffic toward Peekskill.

As a council member, Murphy authored and passed a business revitalization plan to centralize applications, saving time and money for applicants and creating a culture where developers had incentives to take care of infrastructure concerns, as may be the case with the Crompond Terraces developer working to build a new highway garage and park improvements for the town. 

Murphy also echoed the state's real estate optimization plan on the local level, and now Yorktown is looking to return tax ratable property back to the tax rolls, such as the old highway garage site, which town officials are expected to now implement since more pro-business candidates were elected in November.

"After years of inaction by the 'not in my backyard' crowd, we have elected enough like-minded, pro-business officials that we are primed to welcome businesses into our communities," Murphy said. "In the upcoming legislative session, I will work to pass a legislation to re-establish the Yorktown IDA, which will give Yorktown additional tools to attract and retain businesses, which will alleviate the burden on our residential tax base."