By Riley Henderson CLAY, N.Y. — The Town of Clay hosted a public hearing Monday night and gave residents the opportunity to voice their concerns about a proposed new warehouse project on Morgan Road. Those in attendance seemed to be divided on whether or not the warehouse will benefit the community.
One concern for those opposed was how the warehouse, which would be located on a busy main road, will affect traffic in the area, particularly during rush hour.
“I take Morgan Road every day to get to work, and you’re telling me that 20 to 25 more trucks (on that road) every hour isn’t going to affect traffic?” said one resident.
These concerns follow the release of a traffic impact study conducted by a Rochester transportation consulting company, which states that the distribution center will draw approximately 1,300 additional vehicles to Morgan Road during daily “peak hours”.
“The proposed project can be accommodated by the existing roadway network with the recommendations below being in place”, the study concluded. The recommendations include additional bypass roads, wider lanes and public transportation to the site.
Joseph A. Nicoletti, Superintendent of the Town of Clay Highway Department, said the tax revenue from the warehouse will be “more than enough” to maintain the roads despite the additional wear and tear from increased traffic.
Those in support of the project expressed that a business operation of this size will greatly benefit the local economy in terms of taxes and job creation.
