Neighbors call former garage a ‘junk yard’ after ownership change

At the January 4 Woodbury Town Board meeting, multiple residents voiced concerns about what they described as a “junk yard” on Route 32. What the residents at the meeting are describing as a “junk yard” was formerly McKenzie Motors, which closed in September 2023. Since then, the property was purchased by the entity “497 RT 32 LLC.”

Under the new LLC transparency law (S.995B), law enforcement officers will eventually have access to a state-wide database containing the identities of LLC owners for the purpose of criminal investigation, a measure that could be of use to the Woodbury Police Department if potentially illegal activity is occurring on the premises. During the town board meeting, resident John M. Keller cited his years of experience in the towing industry and offered his services to the local police department should they want to investigate the property further.

Maria Hunter, chair of the town’ Beautification Committee, told The Photo News that Woodbury residents are “calling this a junk yard since the number of damaged and burned out vehicles are being parked there.” She added, “The condition has turned deplorable since the prior owner of the business departed. I’m on the town Beautification Committee, which tries to keep areas clean that are municipal owned properties. Seeing some owners not taking care of their property is very disappointing.”

During the meeting, Hunter implored town and village residents to come to the next beautification committee meeting to share their concerns about the junkyard and other matters, including litter on Route 32, which also came out during this meeting. The next Beautification Committee meeting will be held on February 7 at 6:30 p.m. at Woodbury Town Hall.

Other business

If there was one thing made loud and clear from the members of the public in attendance at the Woodbury Town Board meeting, it was that they wanted the disagreements between the village and town to stop. Woodbury Village Trustee Matthew Fabbro was at the meeting, and spoke about his hopes of working together with the town board to turn the page.

These sentiments were echoed by new Woodbury Town Supervisor Kathryn Luciani. However, the silence from Woodbury Town Councilman Brandon Calore was noticeable. He spoke frequently at the recent Woodbury Village Board meeting, disparaging the village’s decisions concerning the cannabis dispensary.

During this Woodbury Town Board meeting, Calore made zero mention of those concerns. More time was spent discussing the potential fire hazard, mentioned by Maria Hunter, concerning the crowded seating conditions at the meeting than the dispensary or other matters of concern with the town, including the unhoused population utilizing the Walmart parking lot.