New Rochelle residents worry about environmental impact of newly constructed fuel station

The new municipal fuel station will have two above-ground storage tanks to service trucks from the city’s DPW.

News 12 Staff

Jan 28, 2021, 11:00 PM

Updated 1,318 days ago

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Some residents in downtown New Rochelle are concerned about the construction of a nearly 3,000-square-foot fuel station.
The new municipal fuel station will have two above-ground storage tanks to service trucks from the city’s DPW.
Richard Smith, a 65-year resident, says the risk of an explosion has him afraid. Smith also says residents weren’t informed of the new build.
"We got no notification at all, no letters about this,” says Smith. “I found out from a surveyor in the street. He told me about it.”
Business owners in the neighborhood are also furious about the new fueling station being built in their backyard.
Steve Farley owns a tree care company that’s directly across from the construction site.
"We have 40 employees that leave here in trucks every single day, and today is the first day of their construction, and we were blocked for over half an hour leaving our facility,” says Farley.
New Rochelle officials say the area is zoned as light industrial.
According to a statement issued by the city, “The nature of our fleet and the operation to fuel our trucks, the proposed City fueling station will have less of an impact on the area than a commercial gas station which is currently allowed in that zone."
Smith says he is determined to keep fighting to keep the fuel station out of his neighborhood, despite construction already underway.
"I'm trying to stop it, that's what I'm trying to do. I think it's totally unfair to the community,” says Smith.