Guest Editorial: Spot Zoning Change to Benefit Sam's Club & Hurt Area Businesses

In an age of transparency and openness, where so much of what we do is done remotely and online, it is no wonder that some will look to profit from our inability to come together and voice objection to land use deals that don’t serve the people’s best interest.

In the Town of Greenburgh, Sam’s Club has been quietly working the insiders at Greenburgh Town Hall to fast track a zoning change that would mean big things for the local economy and environment if approved. And, not in a good way.

Sam’s wants to create a large automobile gas station that would house at least 14 pumps, 60,000 gallons of fuel stored underground, and a 7,500 sq. foot canopy overhead. To build it out, Sam’s Club will lose over 110 parking spots, and traffic studies show it would be problematic, both on site and on Route 9A.

Now, ironically, 18 years ago, the Greenburgh Zoning Board of Appeals turned down a similar request by Sam’s. The well thought out decision was denied in 2004 by then- ZBA member and now Council member Francis Sheehan. I can’t fathom any good reason why Mr. Sheehan would think the request is any better now.

What makes this troubling for many is the immediate harm it would cause to a dozen small and local women- and minority-owned businesses that employ some 200 people in their independent gas stations and convenience stores along the Saw Mill River Road corridor.

In effect, by allowing Sam’s Club to build their requested gas station center, it would cannibalize all local competition, similar to what occurred in Middletown, NY when they did the same there. Six Middletown gas stations went out of business near that Club and the stations have added only blight rather than income and sales taxes to the community.

I know very personally how devastating this will be for my 10 employees and their families. Additionally, I recognize the great risk of Sam’s Club’s project and its potential impact on our natural environment.

A recent study concluded that the area proposed for petroleum bulk storage at the Sam’s Club site sits in a special flood hazard area and is within close proximity to three water bodies (Saw Mill River, Mine Brook, and an unnamed tributary — all feed into the Hudson River). The study concluded that "granting approval of an auto fuel center within this area could cause undue risk."

Now, here’s where the guise of transparency rests: the attorney representing those of us who would lose our livelihoods has been consistently denied access to town records detailing this matter. Town Hall has stymied every FOIL request and shared no economic fiscal analysis report, no environmental impact study, and no current Zoning reviews. Its doubtful if any have been completed by the Town.

We would think that the Town of Greenburgh would act a little more savvy before blatantly lining Sam’s Club and its Walmart owners pockets. But, alas, not.

In the age of Covid where we often socially distance in everything we do, Greenburgh’s officials have chosen to take backdoor deals it to a whole new level, and remove all barriers to question and input in order to expedite projects. Who wins? Not us the citizens.

Please join with us as we hold the line on this fast and sudden deal and try to hold Greenburgh’s Town Board accountable. Sign up (virtually) to speak at the Public Hearing to consider a Local Law amending Section 285-28 of the Zoning Ordinance, entitled “DS Designed Shopping District,” as it relates to Automotive Fuel Station Uses, by emailing PublicHearing@GreenburghNY.com and TownBoard@GreenburghNY.com.

Thank you,
Leo Zulfikar
Owner, Elmsford BP
135 N. Central Avenue
Elmsford NY