Virtual Meeting On Proposed Amazon Property Cleanup Wednesday

SYOSSET, NY — Amazon’s proposed warehouse in Syosset — recently approved by the Town of Oyster Bay — will be vetted on Wednesday by project experts from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation during a virtual meeting on remediation plans for the roughly 40-acre site.

The DEC and the New York State Department of Health, which weigh in on most proposed developments, will have project experts make a presentation detailing the site’s Brownfield Cleanup Program, which is aimed at revitalizing blighted properties for industrial use. Project experts will also provide the history of the site, which is located at 305 Robbins Ln., and proposed site cleanup plans, as well as answer questions from the public.

The meeting, which will run from 7 to 9 p.m., can be viewed live online through WebEx.

In a statement released by the DEC Tuesday, officials said the agency is currently reviewing the proposed cleanup plan proposed by developer Syosset Park Development LLC in Indianapolis, IN. The DEC is “strictly monitoring the investigation and cleanup of this site in the State’s Brownfield Cleanup Program to ensure the cleanup is protective of public health and the environment,” the statement read.

The property was developed in the 50s by the Cerro Wire and Conduit Company which manufactured parts used in the construction industry and copper is listed as a possible contaminant of concern, according to project documents. It was listed on the state’s registry for inactive hazardous sites in the 80s and then removed after its decommissioning and soil remediation, project documents state.

An attorney for Syosset Park LLC recently told Newsday that the property does not pose “a significant threat to public health or the environment.”

DEC officials extended the public comment period on the project until Feb. 10 after concerns were raised by the community as well as elected officials.

An Amazon spokeswoman declined comment on the proposal by citing the company’s policy of not commenting on its future roadmap. She noted the company is always exploring new locations and a variety of factors are weighed when deciding where to develop future sites.

Amazon’s project was approved by the Town of Oyster Bay Planning Advisory Board last week. Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said the approval brings the municipality “one step closer to cleaning up the site and creating hundreds of local jobs at a time in which our residents need them the most.”

Good To Know:

• Link to access virtual meeting: https://meetny.webex.com/mw3300/mywebex/default.do?nomenu=true&siteurl=meetny&service=6&rnd=0.7353887319277398&main_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmeetny.webex.com%2Fec3300%2Feventcenter%2Fevent%2FeventAction.do%3FtheAction%3Ddetail%26%26%26EMK%3D4832534b00000004789d3c3f28e1b7a70f6ee82477e51208fa81c696199c01ba4f185c4d00ad6741%26siteurl%3Dmeetny%26confViewID%3D183248030005210628%26encryptTicket%3DSDJTSwAAAAS2wCNJTw0ceTBDRUpQxwmPsFxt3sXyCyYTt6h34tC89w2%26
• Project documents are also available on the NYSDEC website at: The documents can also be found at the Syosset Public Library, 225 South Oyster Bay Rd., Syosset. For information, call (516) 921-7161, extension 212. The documents can also be found at the NYSDEC Region 1 Office, which is located at SUNY at Stony Brook, 50 Circle Rd., Stony Brook. The office can be reached at (631) 444-0240.
• Comments can be submitted to the site’s Project Manager, Kerry Maloney, at 625 Broadway, 12th Floor, Albany, NY, 12233 or via email at Kerry.maloney@dec.ny.gov.
• Project documents: https://www.dec.ny.gov/data/DecDocs/C130002/
• Site information, can be accessed by entering “C130002” at https://www.dec.ny.gov/cfmx/extapps/derexternal/index.cfm?pageid=3
• Information on New York State's Brownfield program: https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8450.html