Morgan Road warehouse public hearing set for Sept. 30
By Russ Tarby
Contributing Writer
A public hearing has been scheduled to gather information about a proposed development of a mammoth distribution center on Morgan Road that could employ 1,000 people here.
The Clay Town Board has scheduled an unusual joint hearing with the town’s planning board for 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, at the auditorium of Liverpool High School, 4338 Wetzel Road. Parking will be available in the north lot.
“We’re anticipating we’ll probably have a full house that night,” said Clay Town Supervisor Damian Ulatowski.
Earlier this month, the Dallas-based Trammell Crow Co., considered one of the nation’s most prolific commercial real estate developers, announced a plan to build a 3.7 million-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility on Morgan Road that would employ 1,000 people with an annual payroll of some $30 million.
If the project is endorsed by the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency and receives all necessary zone changes and other permissions from the town of Clay, a Trammell Crow official indicated that an as-yet-unnamed client would build the $280 million distribution center on the current site of the 111-acre Liverpool Golf & Country Club.
Meanwhile, the company is applying for $65 million in tax breaks over 15 years. Trammel Crow Co. executive George Laigaie is expected to be on hand to describe the project and to answer questions from board members and the general public.
Ulatowski said the company’s application for site plan approval will be considered by the town planning board. The town board will decide on the company’s request for a zone change from recreational to industrial.
The project will undergo the town’s normal review procedures, Ulatowski said.
Questions likely to be posed on Monday include:
–What will be the proposed distribution center’s effect on area traffic?
–How solid are the employment estimates which predict some 1,000 employees?
–How will the construction of a 3.7 million-square-foot warehouse impact the local environment?
–How will the new building(s) and parking lots effect drainage along Morgan Road?
–How will the project utilize 10 acres it wants to purchase in the town of Salina, just north of the construction site?
