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The first story is about the proposed Costco Wholesale Club at 3200 Crompond Road, which sparked passionate responses from both supporters and opponents of the project.
The property off Route 202 is valued at $30 million and previously housed a motel, nursery and a gas station. If developed, Costco estimates the property would generate $600,000 in school taxes to the Yorktown school district, $88,000 in town taxes and $9 million in sales-tax revenue for Westchester County.
Many opponents, however, believe the taxes would be offset by the loss of other businesses that Costco would drive out. Opponents also argued that Costco will increase traffic and bring many environmental concerns.
An Oct. 16 public hearing on the proposed Costco brought out hundreds of Yorktown residents who engaged in hours of sometimes-contentious back-and-forth dialogue for and against the 150,000-square-foot building. The hearing, which focused on the 2,200-page draft environmental impact statement, closed on Nov. 11.
Specific questions raised by residents and planning board members during the two-part hearing will be compiled and sent to Costco to answer in a final environmental impact statement, which is expected to be presented in 2013.
In a simple "yes" or "no" poll posted on The Yorktown Daily Voice in October, 77 percent of our readers voted in favor of the project compared with 23 percent voting it down. More than 300 people voted in the poll.
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