SCHUMER SECURES FEDERAL APPROVALS NEEDED TO CLEAR THE WAY FOR AMY’S KITCHEN TO BRING UP TO 1,000 NEW JOBS TO ORANGE COUNTY

Last Year, Schumer Urged Army Corps To Expedite Federal Reviews So Amy’s Kitchen Could Turn Vacant Property in Orange County Into A Major Distribution Center; Amy’s Kitchen has historically relied on local communities and small businesses to provide ingredients for their distribution centers and product lines

With Schumer’s Longstanding Support, U.S. Army Corps Issued Wetlands Review & Nationwide Permit Needed for Site Development At Goshen Property To Create The State of The Art Facility

Schumer: It’s time for Amy’s Kitchen to start cooking in Orange County!

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has issued the federal permit that Amy’s Kitchen needs to begin construction on the Goshen, NY site where the food distribution company intends to build its new $95 million, 369,000-square foot meal-manufacturing plant. Amy’s Kitchen will turn the formerly vacant property into a major distribution center through this significant investment, which is expected to create 700 good-paying, local jobs with the potential to expand to nearly 1,000 jobs.

“Now that we have cut the red tape and the federal permits are in hand, it’s time for Amy’s Kitchen to start cooking in Orange County. And guess what is on the menu? Jobs, jobs, jobs,” said Senator Schumer. “With this green light from the feds the construction phase can begin. From the beginning, I told the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that there are too many potential new jobs at stake for bureaucracy to stand in the way so I’m glad today that Amy’s Kitchen can turn this formerly vacant site in Goshen into a beehive of economic activity for Orange County.”

Schumer successfully helped Amy’s Kitchen clear this important hurdle that was preventing the company from beginning construction. With the Army Corps review process now complete, Schumer is confident that Amy’s Kitchen is one step closer to beginning construction and keeping this critical, job-creating project on track for Orange County residents. Schumer initially focused on helping Amy’s Kitchen receive the wetlands jurisdictional determination, but has since also helped the company secure other federal approvals, including a Memorandum of Agreement for the recovery of significant information from archaeological sites, consultation on endangered species with US Fish and Wildlife Service, and now the Army Corps nationwide permit needed to begin work on the facility.

Schumer has long supported the Amy’s Kitchen proposal to move its distribution operations from out-of-state to the Hudson Valley, to construct a state-of-the-art meal-manufacturing facility and create hundreds of jobs in Orange County. In December 2015, Schumer met with Andy and Rachel Berliner, co-founders and owners of Amy’s Kitchen, to discuss ways to help the company create jobs and prosper in the Hudson Valley. During their meeting, Schumer vowed to fight tooth and nail to help the company grow jobs and succeed in New York.

With construction set to begin early this year, Schumer is optimistic that the new facility will have a significant economic impact on local Hudson Valley farms and the regional agricultural industry.  He explained, that Amy’s Kitchen has historically relied on local communities and small businesses to provide ingredients for their distribution centers and product lines. Schumer further explained that two-thirds of the ingredients used in Amy’s Kitchen products currently come from California and Oregon – because that is where Amy’s is currently located. Schumer said the development of this new facility in Goshen could mean increased opportunities for Orange County businesses and farms to provide ingredients for Amy’s products, as most of its sales are in the Eastern half of the U.S. Product lines include frozen entrees, burritos, soups, cookies and candy.

“We greatly appreciate the efforts of Senator Schumer and each of our representatives, including state and local authorities, in working with us through the permitting process. The Senator's guidance and assistance, and each of our representatives and authorities, has been invaluable and we look forward to completing all remaining permits, authorizations, approvals, and agreements so that our work might commence as soon as possible. Upon commencement of operations of the Amy's Kitchen facility in Goshen, we expect to employ hundreds of full-time persons and to purchase annually millions of dollars in organic produce and cheeses. We look forward to a continuing collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship with all parties,” said Andy Berliner, a principal of Amy's Kitchen.

Amy’s Kitchen is a California-based, family-owned organic and natural food distribution company that sells its products to many large national retail chains, including ShopRite, Price Chopper and Wal-Mart. In 2014, the company announced it would be building a $95 million, 369,000-sq. foot development in Goshen, NY. The formerly vacant site that Amy’s is expected to occupy is located between 100 Echo Lake Road and Route 17M – a 200-acre parcel of land that Schumer agreed is ripe for development. According to company officials, the new distribution facility is expected to employ roughly 700 local residents in Orange County.

The company hopes to begin construction on the plant early this year, and to have the first phase of the facility up and running by 2019. Schumer previously said it is critical that this wetland delineation review be completed, and the official Jurisdictional Determination made, in order to keep this project on track, and successfully pushed Army Corps to complete that review and the other reviews required for the company to receive its nationwide permit needed for construction to begin.

A copy of Schumer’s original letter to the USACE appears below:

Dear Assistant Secretary Darcy and Commander Caldwell:

I write to urge you to expedite the wetlands review and to provide an official Jurisdictional Determination for the Goshen, New York site where Amy’s Kitchen intends to build a meal-manufacturing plant. The company plans to turn the vacant property in Orange County into a major distribution center that would employ hundreds of local residents, but before construction can begin, the Army Corps of Engineers must complete the wetland delineation review and provide an official Jurisdictional Determination for the site.

Amy’s Kitchen is a California-based, family-owned organic and natural food distribution company that sells its products to many large national retail chains, including ShopRite, Price Chopper and Wal-Mart. In 2014, the company announced it would build a $95 million, 369,000 square foot development in Goshen, which is estimated to employ nearly 700 local residents in Orange County. The Amy’s Kitchen facility is expected to occupy 200 acres between 100 Echo Lake Road and Route 17M.

The Amy’s Kitchen site development project has cleared several key hurdles, including support from local governments, Orange County and New York State. The company hopes to begin construction on the plant this fall, and to have the facility up and running by 2018. It is critical that this wetland delineation review be completed, and the official Jurisdictional Determination made, in order to keep this project on track. As you know, this documentation is needed before construction work can begin. 

Thank you in advance for your attention to this important matter. Should you have any questions or need further information please do not hesitate to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer

United States Senator

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