Residents fighting United Auto Supply’s plan to build a large warehouse in Lysander celebrated their court win against the project, but the company’s CEO is undaunted.
James Ranalli Jr., chief executive officer of United Auto Supply, told Syracuse.com|The Post Standard that the homeowner group’s successful lawsuit against the town hasn’t changed his plans.
The lawsuit forced the town to drop a recent change in the town zoning code that allowed the planned 1 million square foot warehouse.
After opponents sued, the town acknowledged it didn’t follow proper legal procedures when changing the town’s zoning law to permit developers to build on up to 50%, rather than 30%, of an industrially zoned lot.
Ranalli said he had always planned to build the warehouse in three phases, and the first phase is a 360,000-square-foot warehouse. That’s the plan the developer submitted to the town and it would be allowed under the old 30% provision, he said. Ranalli planned to build out to the 1-million-square-foot warehouse later, if ever.
Ranalli said United Auto Supply has bought two properties — one on Hencle Boulevard and one on Route 48 — next to the land targeted for the warehouse. That land is at the northeast corner of Route 690 and Hencle Boulevard, just north of the village of Baldwinsville. With the extra land, Ranalli said, they have enough space to build out to the full size without going over 30% of the land.
“We have plenty of room for a 1-million-square-foot warehouse if we get there, so we don’t really care how that (zone change) shakes out,” he said. “It has nothing to do with us.”
United Auto Supply will ask the town to approve a permit to build the first phase on the site, which is zoned industrial.
Residents, who organized into a group called Citizens Against Lysander Mega‐Warehouse, have said they oppose the project because it’s too big for the area, will cause increased traffic congestion, noise, and change the character of the residential neighborhoods and village of Baldwinsville it borders.
At several public hearings on the proposal, exchanges between the supporters, opponents, and the developer became heated. At least 100 people showed up to voice their opinions.
Ranalli said he still believes the warehouse “is the absolute best fit” for that site.
“Where could you find a better place? 690 is right there. You’re on and you’re off,’' he said.
United Auto has decided to retain its State Fair Boulevard location and keep its roughly 500 workers there, Ranalli said. The new warehouse will be used to store other product lines.
Ranalli expects 250 new jobs to be created with the first phase, with warehouse jobs starting at $20 an hour, he said. If all three phases are built, they will likely employ an estimated 1,000 workers, he said.
Ranalli wants room to grow. The company keeps outgrowing its buildings, and this project gives it plenty of room to expand, he said.
The Syracuse-based auto parts retailer and distributor has 30 retail locations. It got its start in 1946 with a 2,500-square-foot store. The business has experienced “explosive growth” particularly because of the e-commerce business, which started in 2018, according to James Ranalli III, president of United Auto Supply. He is Ranalli Jr.’s son.
“We want to be transparent and honest in saying we think we can grow into a 1-million-square-foot space,’' Ranalli Jr. said. “If things are good, we will move onto phase two and maybe three. We will see if people in the town love us, as we keep our properties neat as a pin and maintain everything well.”
As for the opposition, Ranalli said he wouldn’t build in Lysander if he believed the majority of people were against it. But, he said, many residents have reached out to him saying they support the warehouse.
“Who knows now if we’ll get to the third phase or not,’' he said. “We hope so. We try to be respectful and do things right.”
Elizabeth Doran covers education, suburban government and development, breaking news and more. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact her anytime at 315-470-3012 or email edoran@syracuse.com
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July 19, 2021 at 07:01PM
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