Town seeks public comment on Monroe Commons by Dec. 15

People who frequent Nininger Road may need to find alternative routes as the road gets further developed. Joining the 1,600-unit Veyoel Moshe Gardens on Nininger is a massive, 407,819 square feet building and 653 parking lots to support it. The project, known as Monroe Commons, had representatives appear before the Monroe Planning Board on November 21 to provide an update on the project.

While Veyoel Moshe Gardens is expected to be the home to as many as 9,000 residents when completed, Monroe Commons will serve more commercial purposes. The plan calls for a 39-room hotel and offices to operate on the third and fourth floor, with store fronts filling the first floor. Residents of Veyoel Moshe Gardens will have an overpass constructed after 800 units are completed, allowing residents to access Monroe Commons without a vehicle. Given the water issues in the area, the village of Kiryas Joel will be providing water to both the Gardens and Monroe Commons — after building two new wells which were approved by the DEC in 2021.

An addition of a third traffic light to Nininger Road is currently in the planning stages, as are plans to widen the road and add a left-only lane for east-bound traffic looking to turn onto Dunderberg Road. Bakertown Road is also being discussed for a potential widening to help alleviate traffic created by Monroe Commons. The planning board raised concerns about the additional traffic and asked for a timetable on when improvements and other changes to Nininger Road would occur. They did not yet receive an answer from Monroe Commons reps, but the representatives did note that the improvements are supposed to be made as Veyoel Moshe Gardens reaches certain building thresholds.

The Monroe Commons team mentioned that in their study, the only day they expect there to be a traffic “overlap” with the high school and middle school would be on Fridays. The board did not seem to believe this, with one member mentioning how nearby Larkin Drive and Nininger were basically parking lots in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. Said board member Pat Shea, “We have a problem now. I can’t imagine a fire truck or an ambulance trying to get through there today, and that’s the way it is now.”

Possible extensions to Nininger Road are currently being designed, despite there being wetlands right smack in the middle of where the road extension would go. The state DEC has already provided permits for the road extension into that area, according to the project’s representatives. The Monroe Commons team was in a rush to get things approved. But the Monroe Planning Board wants more time to investigate and speak with the Woodbury Town Planning Board, since part of Monroe Commons falls under their jurisdiction.

Monroe Commons is one of a dozen of projects currently in development in the area, with six in Kiryas Joel and the remaining six split among Monroe, Woodbury, and other towns. Almost all of which will impact traffic on Route 32, which will be the most impacted by Monroe Commons, according to its representatives. Residents of Monroe who have questions or concerns about the Monroe Commons project and its impact on traffic in and around Nininger Road and Route 32 can submit them to the Monroe Planning Board up until December 15 at 4 p.m.