A reporter with The New York Times is interested in interviewing Orthodox Jewish residents, religious leaders, and business owners in Monsey about the proposed construction of a Wal-Mart store on Route 59. Anyone willing to be interviewed can contact us at [email protected]
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Ramapo, NY – Town officials are waiting for the developer of the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter to complete a draft environmental impact statement before referring the project to the Planning Board.
The CDRC, an advisory group to the Planning Board, wants an additional review of the potential environmental fallout, but the developer has not yet filed the information with the town.
We told them to respond to the comments," First Deputy Town Attorney Alan Berman said of concerns expressed by the committee, "and put it in final form, so it can be reviewed one last time by the CDRC."
Traffic has been a key concern of the committee, other issues have included the visual impact of the store, landscaping and the drainage of storm water.
William Johnson of Spring Valley voiced skepticism that the review would make much of a difference.
What most of you don’t know is how much the local yeshivas, schools, kollels rely on the local heimishe storekeepers to support them (including giving them expensive raffles so that they can make more money) If their business suffers due to walmart the above mentioned can say good bye to all the extra money – and I personally know that they make a lot from raffles.
Let’s not forget what a hangout it would become to our teenagers. We have so many at risk already why add to the numbers. I promise you the numbers will be very high. Our children are more important to us than a few dollars – or I hope they should be.
Another point is that having it so close in the midst of our community more heimishe men will be shopping there. Why should they be exposed to woman wearing tank tops, bekinis, shorts, big displays of non tzniusdike pictures. Men (bachurim) have enough nisyonas we don’t have to add to it.
Last but not least I can’t imagine the traffic crossing 59 on Erev Shabbos or Erev Yom Tov. Besides for the pollution, crime,… In most communities people living on lesser incomes than our kollel, melamdim.. have voted against it.
It is the achreius of every jew to vote against it for our Yidddishkeit is in grave danger. The money issue is so minute accordingly.
oppressed and marginalized communities can still discriminate against other marginalized peoples.
anti-semitism in in all of it’s past and present horrors still does not give us carte blanche to discriminate against anyone else– jews or goyim.
if you’re amused by any kind of discrimination, it’s because you have the privilege to be amused.
I am always amused by comments referring to the eternal discrimation of Jews by goyim. I am, frankly, more concerned about Jews discriminating against Jews – a rampant problem in Monsey. I am tired of endless price gouging “l’shem shemayim.” So much of our population is underemployed and certainly in low income brackets. I’d rather there be some really stiff competition to bring prices across the board down to realistic levels. This is what the free market is all about. If WalMart can do it better, so much the better for all – except those who keep prices high to support lavish lifestyles and who hide behind the appearance of heiligkeit and kaddusha.
I think that the Wal-Mart would be incredibly detrimental to the community in terms of increased traffic, the impact it will have on local businesses, and the effect of ‘outsiders’ on a very close-knit and traditional community.
What concerns me about what I’m reading here and elsewhere are all the statements about the “undesirable elements” and higher crime rates that come with Wal-Mart. Rather than just an issue of keeping the community from being overrun with non Jews (a valid though somewhat problematic point), this sounds more like a thinly veiled way to say that poor people and people of color are not welcome in or near Monsey.
As Jews we have been discriminated against for centuries…I think we should be sensitive to our own capacity for discrimination against others.
Thoughts?
I think that the Wal-Mart would be incredibly detrimental to the community in terms of increased traffic, the impact it will have on local businesses, and the effect of ‘outsiders’ on a very close-knit and traditional community.
What concerns me about what I’m reading here and elsewhere are all the statements about the “undesirable elements” and higher crime rates that come with Wal-Mart. Rather than just an issue of keeping the community from being overrun with non Jews (a valid though somewhat problematic point), this sounds more like a thinly veiled way to say that poor people and people of color are not welcome in or near Monsey.
As Jews we have been discriminated against for centuries…I think we should be sensitive to our own discrimination against others.
Thoughts?
Go on rt 59 on a friday afternoon and then tell me if you still want a wall mart there, the traffic is terrible without walmart, the town already tried to fix that problem years ago by adding that middle lane for turns only and it didnt help much so what will they do now make an upper level and a lower level?
im with 9;02, go to the walmart in tallman/airmont area…and whats not in walmart u can get in shoprite…
From an economic viewpoint, I don’t think the proposed Walmart will make that much of an impact on the local Monsey stores (except Pathmark).
For example, our local clothing stores cater to the Tznius concious crowds. Personally, as someone who shops for tzniusdik clothing, I have a very difficult time finding these items in Walmart.
Our grocery stores may suffer slightly when it comes to cereals or paper goods. However, we already have Pathmark & Shoprite with lower prices on many brand name items and our locals manage to stay in business. It’s funny how Pathmark a large Supermarket chain carries kosher food but is generally higher priced than our local groceries.
I am concerned about the traffic situation on Route 59. On one hand, the roads may be reconfigured so traffic can flow smoother. On the other hand, the negative reaction may happen and because of the increased traffic, many consumers will travel elsewhere to do their shopping. Remember, for many people it’s not always about saving the extra dollar. Convienience & time are also what counts.
Walmart is “NOT WANTED” by most of the local residents, Frum and Non-Frum alike!!!!
We love to shop at larger stores and we have no problem doing so – we go to the Palisades Mall, Nanuet Mall, Walmart in Airmont or 20 min. away we have all great stores in NJ…
Why kill Monsey with the cheap Walmart and the HUGE CRIMES it brings???
A Walmart SuperCenter will bring huge traffic, huge check-out lines, and a huge hangout….
Keep it a small distance away and “EVERYONE” will be happy!
In-Monsey is just not the place for it!!
Wal-Mart could turn the Airmont store into a super-store by buying up the adjoining properties.
You guys have it wrong. The biggest problem with the new Walmart is the traffic that it will bring. The Kollel guys wife might have an accident R”L croosing 59 to get into the Walmart. There will be an extreme increase in commercial traffic on a street that is already over congested. Another point is that if people love Walmart so much, drive 3 minutes, i’m sorry, it used to take 3 minutes, 10 minutes West on 59 to Suffern where there already is a Walmart. The point is that the town of Ramapo is killing itself by allowing all this over development. There is no more place on the roads to handle all the extra cars. Soon Monsey will be like Hong Kong where there is a big circle of traffic that never lets up the whole day. Who needs this? Thats not what this place was zoned for, and not what most people who bought property here many years ago anticipated.
Its funny how when you drive around in rural areas and you see all these signs “stop walmart” you would think the store would be empty, then you go into the store and it seems like every body that lives whithin 100 miles is there shopping. Its obviously a very small minority with a very loud voice protesting walmart. 99% of the people will benifit from walmart.
Many valid points have been brought up.
I believe that to tell a community to support a local grocer, even at extra expense is wrong. You mentioned that who will support the local Kollel and charities?
If the grocer is known to heavily support these it might be a point, otherwise let everybody save and have more money themselves rather than enriching a particular merchant and hoping he will give tzedaka. If this argument would apply to clothing there would be a big outrage, support an overpriced local store so he might support tzedaka!
Brooklyn has an orthodox population density unmatched in the US. There are more Frum jews in two blocks walking distance to a frum store than there are in a one mile radius in Monsey. If a merchant in brooklyn lost 1000 customers he still has 9000. In monsey you lose 1000 customers, you have 1-2000 left. While many residents may benefit from lower prices, many small merchants will be hurt. You can’t blame the kollel wife for trying to save a few bucks, but who contributes to pay the kollel salaries? The small businessmen. Not discussing “hakaoros hatov”, who is going to support the Kollel when the small businessman loses half his customer base? FS, S8, WF, MC are going to give them increases? I am only optimistic because the kosher restuarant in the Pathmark parking lot next door to the proposed Walmart site, started as a fast food restuarant for a chain that has probably never closed a store, likewise for the ex-Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant up the block. I hope the community will not support Walmart. As far as saving on taxes, we could save 33% of the Public school budget by dissolving the East Ramapo School board and handing it’s control over to Clarkstown Central where they manage to educate students for $13.5K a year instead of 20.3K. We would save over 25% If the avg came down to NY state averages.
But alas, no-one really cares.
East Ramapo avg per student $20,281
NY state avg per student $15,035
Clarkstown Ctl per student $13,496
New York State School District report cards
I live in Brooklyn so anybody that disagrees can tell me where to stay.
I can see the benefit of Wal-mart opening another store.
Years ago when Shoprite was about to open in Brooklyn there was a campaign to have all the Rebbes urge people to shop in frum stores only, “the frum stores are our friends and guardians of the Kosher consumer”. There is no other business where telling the customer to pay more (sometimes a lot more) for identical items exists. compare national brand ketchup or mayo in these stores.
Yes, there is the chance of making a mistake and buying something not Kosher that was in the wrong place but things happen anyplace (Kosher treif Chickens).
I have been told that it is not fair to compare prices because supermarkets pay less for some food items. SO WHAT! If a store can not get the same price then the store should not sell it and let the Kosher consumer buy it elsewhere at a fair price.
Despite the hardships of the Kosher business almost every frum Brooklyn food grocery has bought adjacent buildings to expand. These buildings in Brooklyn are not cheap so they must be making a lot of money selling food together with a frum shoppingstyle.
Why are there such vocal protests when walmart wants to open with traffic being cirted as a major concern when it takes 15 minutes to move anywhere on Rt 306 because of the constant development. You can’t have it both ways. If the development is ok Walmart is ok…. As far as i’m concerned Walmart can only benefit the community…
anon 11:38
what are you? an ostrich with your head in the ground?
do you honestly believe that the town will have ‘rachmonous’ on you and won’t increase your taxes anymore?
wishfull thinking!
How about placing all the new Yeshivas that are going to be built in the Wal-Mart super-centre.
This would ease traffic in the rest of Monsey, and increase business for Wal-Mart.
What can be best from overall lower prices? No more tax increases as the county gets a share in taxes from items purchased and so the town and school district.
No more price abuses by local stores, and the bottom line, more money in your pocket at the end of the week!