GOSHEN—Some 30 people came to the June 30 Goshen Town Board meeting to express their concerns about the proposed LEGOLAND project and lobby their representatives to turn down what they said would be a threat to their way of life and the character of the town.
“They’re not doing anything for us but clogging our roads, polluting our air, raising our taxes, putting a burden on our services,” said Town of Goshen resident Debra Corr, who wore a red T-shirt with “Stop LEGOLAND Goshen, NY” written on it.
“My biggest concern is my quality of life.”
Many were concerned about the traffic from the 6,000 cars a day that are projected to visit the theme park, something Merlin Entertainments PLC, the company that owns and runs LEGOLAND, has said it is working on mitigating.
Another big concern was water. On the Environmental Assessment Form (EAF), the company says LEGOLAND will use approximately 236,000 gallons a day and is seeking water and sewer services from the Village of Goshen, which it says has the capacity to provide these resources.
“Our infrastructure, it’s already delicate. We already have problems with it,” said Goshen resident Lanie Herbst. “Last year we couldn’t water our lawns.”
Residents also complained that Merlin, which calls itself the world’s second largest visitor attraction operator, is seeking tax abatements from the Orange County Industrial Development Agency (IDA).
The company has applied for a 30-year Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) and exemptions on sales and property taxes.
In December 2015, the state granted $1 million to Merlin for site development and infrastructure work if LEGOLAND was built in Orange County.
