Some people in Orange County are worried about proposals that would bring garbage dumps and warehouses to their neighborhood, according to News 12. The broadcaster reported that the concern has grown strong enough that residents are now turning to the courts to try to stop the projects from moving forward.
Activists in Wawayanda are suing to stop two projects in particular, News 12 reported. According to the broadcaster, the residents have taken legal action in an effort to block development they say would reshape the character of their community.
One of the projects is a proposal for a waste transfer station on Olson Town Road, News 12 reported. The broadcaster said the state Department of Environmental Conservation has already approved that facility, a step that has helped push residents toward the lawsuit.
The second project the activists are fighting is a proposal for a warehouse on Route 6, according to News 12. The broadcaster grouped the two proposals together as the focus of the residents' legal challenge in Wawayanda.
Neighbors say they are worried about losing open space and farmland if the projects go ahead, News 12 reported. The broadcaster relayed residents' fears that the rural feel that drew them to the area is being traded away for industrial sites.
One resident questioned the scale of what is being proposed, pointing to figures of 2,000 trucks per day and 6.5 million square feet of industrial space, News 12 reported. Another told the broadcaster that there was none of this when they moved up to the area, and that most people who moved there did not do so for warehouses and dumps.
According to News 12, the waste transfer station and warehouse are just part of a much larger picture in the town. The broadcaster said the two projects are among nearly a dozen industrial developments that Wawayanda has either approved or is still considering.