Three days ago, YWN reported that plans to open a Wal-Mart in Monsey, NY were scratched – after the developer said that his company reportedly faced concerns of the town and the public over the ability of existing roads and sewer lines to handle the demands of the 215,000-square-foot big-box store.
Today, the NY Times has an article about the Frum communities concerns, and why they believe the store did not open:
NY Times: It was Friday afternoon when the developer who had been intent on building a 215,000-square-foot Wal-Mart in this hamlet sent word to the town offices in Ramapo. The fax was terse, but its message clear: “We will not continue to proceed with the development.”
The news that the developer, and potentially Wal-Mart, had scrapped plans it had so diligently worked on gave observant Jews, who make up the bulk of the population here, reason to rejoice.
They had waged a modest yet unyielding campaign against the proposed store, which they feared would force too many outside influences into their insular world of Orthodox Judaism.
It also represented a political vindication of sorts for Christopher P. St. Lawrence, town supervisor of Ramapo, which encompasses Monsey, in the heart of Rockland County. He hung much of his re-election on a promise to keep the Wal-Mart out of Monsey. During his campaign, he mailed a flier to every home in Monsey, saying, “Supervisor St. Lawrence opposes the Monsey Wal-Mart.” Mr. St. Lawrence was elected to a fourth term in November.
“Wal-Mart doesn’t vote for the supervisor,” said Rabbi Jacob Horowitz, one of Monsey’s most respected religious leaders. “The people vote for the supervisor.
“We work very hard to raise our families the right way,” Rabbi Horowitz said. “And the supervisor understood that preserving our lifestyle is something that’s very important to us.”
There were other issues that Mr. St. Lawrence said had prompted him to stand up against putting a Wal-Mart on Route 59, like the flood of traffic such a big store could bring to a two-lane highway that is already clogged much of the time, and its impact on the revitalized downtown section of Spring Valley, a village northeast of Monsey.
“We’re very pro-business here,” Mr. St. Lawrence said. “But it has to be the right business.”
Wal-Mart says it has not yet formally given up on the project.
Philip H. Serghini, a spokesman for Wal-Mart, said that the company had placed the plan “under review,” weighing the costs of pushing it forward against its potential benefits.
To build here, Wal-Mart would have to overcome at least two obstacles: finding another developer and preparing a new environmental impact study. The town Planning Board rejected the one it received last June on the ground that the proposal to ease traffic on Route 59 with a combination of turning lanes and more traffic lights was inadequate.
Jerrold Bermingham, managing director of the National Realty and Development Corporation, which was to have built the store, did not respond to e-mail messages or phone calls left with him and his lawyer.
With about 28,000 residents and almost 200 synagogues squeezed into 2.2 square miles, Monsey feels at once crowded and neighborly, the type of place that seems immune to the modernity that surrounds it.
Many of the women do not drive, and their children attend the dozens of yeshivas, or private religious schools here. Among the most observant families, home computers are strictly forbidden.
“These are not people who were schooled in the tactics of public protesting, or who even felt comfortable doing it,” said Richard Lipsky, a spokesman for the Neighborhood Retail Alliance, a coalition of small-business groups that helped residents here wage their battle against Wal-Mart. “They never imagined they could beat a giant like Wal-Mart.
Click HERE to read extended article on the NY Times website.
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
13 Responses
What exactly is the frum population’s problem with Wal-Mart?
The problem here is that I believe the SILENT majority of frum people in Monsey would love to have a Walmart nearby. We need to save money as the cost of living (Tuitions, mortgages, chasunas
support etc. etc.) is astronomical. I wish Walmart would send out a poll of all residents in
Monsey, Spring Valley and neighbouring towns as to their opinions on the matter.
Those who don’t like them – need not shop there.
As for added traffic – where is the protest when these monstrous multi family dwelling go up on our narrow streets & cause the terrible traffic congestion & untold wasted hours.
The answer is – where there is a personal monetary gain to be made – it supercedes the needs
of the rabim & the polititians who are in their (developers, “askanim” etc.) pockets are directed to push aside any pesky zoning or environmental laws meant to benefit the quality of life of the general rabim.
I live in Monsey. I have no real idea if a Wal-Mart would bring (more of) an undesirable element to Monsey or not. And, seeing as how there already is a Wal-Mart not that far down the road, that is popular with the frum oilam, I’m not sure if the argument that with Wal-Mart comes that element really holds that much water anyway.
BUT, the area they want to put this new one is in an area where traffic, IMHO, is already an issue, and this would absolutely make the situation worse. Additionally, it’s in an area surrounded/in close proximity to frum businesses (closer than the other one is) and it could potentially hurt them.
Also, and this is my own wondering…..the exisitng Wal-Mart is already understaffed, with check out lines backed up b/c there are not enough cash registers open. If they can’t/won’t staff the exisitng one, why open up another one?
the existing walmart in tallman is a poorly run store – I only go therre if I can’t go to another walmart (Monroe or NJ). I was hoping that the new store would have brought new employees that are more customer focused.
TO LAWMAN:
You have correctly observed that large corporations do what’s best for them, not what’s best for you.
They seek more and more profits, but at your expense. They wil build a huge superstore that will rake in huge amounts of cash, but you will bear the burden of traffic jams, wasted time, and “SHMUTZ” in their store.
We have a similar situation in Boro Park. Maimonides Hospital seeks to spread out all over Boro park West, the area around the Hospital on Tenth Avenue. Their existing buildings are noisy and ugly, and their workers grab all the parking spots around the Hospital.
They grow and prosper, while the Jewish community suffers their growing pains.
There is nothing unique about the attitude of Maimonides Hospital in Boro Park. Virtually all corporation–Enron, Arthur Andersen, Exxon, Worldcom–are focused narrowly on profits. They won’t spend a dime on the community, if they can avoid it.
What they do spend is strictly an advertising expense–public relations, with the goal of gaining community acceptance for their next profitable move.
The only way that a large corporation can be made to respond to community concerns is when that community makes it so uncomfortable for the corporation to operate that they have no choice but to take the community’s needs into consideration–or when government officials block their plans.
Corporations have no soul, no morality. To them, it’s all a matter of costs versus benefits.
The reason that the Jewish community was is so much against is not just because of the bad influences that would be brought into Monsey, but the loss of parnasah it would cause. This Wal mart was going to be much bigger than the one in
Suffern, it was going to have a whole grocery section, and it ws going to carry kosher products. Mishpacha had a very informative article about it a while back. There are many Jewish grocery stores amongst other types of stores that would have taken a huge hit, so our savings of a few dollars in Wal-Mart really is not such a loss if it would have caused a loss to so many Jewish businesses.
i don;t believe it is because of the bad influence. There are many non jewish stores in the area where kids can get bad influence aside from wal-mart. Maybe in the dvde section but thats it. I think it is right for wal mart not to open up because it will bring the other stores to lose a lot of business. especially the wholoe rockland county.
It’s great to have a super store where you can purchase everything you need in one trip at good prices. But it is NOT good to make your own fellow-Jews to lose their parnosso. How,then,will THEY be able to continue to live in the community? WHO will pay the donations to the shuls and yeshivos? Will Wallmart give big donations to Hatzolo,yeshivos,and other institutions that help out our people in need? Will THEY pay for the extra up-keep of the infrastructure? NO! They will take their profits out of the community. So,in the long run,Monsey frum community has won !
“Silent majority” (# 2)? Are you sheep going to slaughter? Were you silent about the concert? Were you silent about the response to the Merkaz Massacre?
I believe surveys WERE distributed.
The ge’ulah from Mitzrayim came partially in the merit that we were distinguishable there – “mitzuyanim sham”. Is it now the ratzon HaShem for us to choose to be part of their society?
Expensive chasunos, summer vacations, homes, furnishings, clothes, etc. are our choice. Should it be at the expense of our kedushah?
Wal Mart would hae been great but no big deal, I can travel down the road and for my meat products I shop in the city
It’s the traffic.
I personally don’t shop at Wal-Mart (I don’t like bullies), but then, I personally don’t shop at many of the local business either. I understand that a small retailer can’t afford to match a major department store’s 90 days cash back policy, but no refunds at all? And exchanges within a day, or a week if you’re lucky? And the prices?! I guess I’m out of touch. I’m just a middle class working girl, I can’t afford to shop at the handbag boutique or any of the many jewelry stores, or buy anything other than last year’s clearance shoes at the local shoe store. I’m all for supporting my local businesses, but I can’t afford to do so!
That said, it’s still the traffic.
I work around the corner from the proposed Wal-Mart location and there are days you just cannot turn onto Route 59 because it’s grid locked. The Spring Valley Market Place, Nanuet Mall (now THERE’s a site for Wal-Mart) and Palisades Mall are in different types of areas, and they can accommodate the traffic. Turning lanes would not do anything about the additional thousands of cars which Wal-Mart would attract to the Monsey site. These cars have to come from someplace and go someplace else, and the local roads just cannot handle that volume of traffic.
So at the end of the day, it’s the traffic.
ChanieE is correct.
Religious problems aside, this specific location simply cannot handle the amount of traffic this Wal-Mart would probably bring. As it is, that whole stretch of Route 59 probably needs to be turned into a full 2 lane route in each direction. Currently it is two lanes, merging to one, and opening up to 4-5, before going back to one.
Traffic at present is untenable. Wallmart would have to add two lanes in each direction stretching from the thruway entrance in Spring Valley to Airmont Road in Suffern to handle the traffic. The effect on local business would be negative. That means fruits, vegetables and some other items would be bought in Walmart. Doing enough damage to some local stores that wouldn’t be able to stay in business and sell you the heimish products that Walmart never heard of. For those that don’t drive, Walmart does not deliver like ALL the heimish groceries. Likewise clothing, socks and underwear could be bought at walmart making a dent in the profits of heimish stores, and if they close, you would have to go to KJ or Boro Park to buy your other heimish clothing. Judaica, seferim stores, silver stores would not be effected.
After all that, there would be thousands of people coming per day, that I really would not like to see in MY neighborhood. (If you don’t remember sheep on old Nyack Turnpike, you were not in Monsey before me.)