Expansion project parking, water concerns addressed

Traffic mitigation, emergency management and demands on local water supply remain key concerns for the proposed expansion of Woodbury Common, which was reviewed at the Dec. 17 Woodbury Planning Board meeting.

Timothy Fox, Vice President of Real Estate Development for Simon Property Group, said that the company intends to complete the project in stages, with the first phase to include expanded parking, retail, and storage. Addressing Woodbury Village Planning Engineer Natalie Barber’s concerns about a reduction in parking from what was proposed in the original site plan, Fox said it was sufficient to serve the requirements of the retail and storage for the initial phase. He added that the design of the parking structure allows for expansion to serve future demand, including for the possible approval of a hotel.

During the meeting, the Planning Board reminded the representatives for Woodbury Common that the current moratorium on water usage prohibits them from approving applications, unless the Woodbury Village Board grants a waiver.

Planning Board Chairman Christopher Gerver reminded the applicant that while the planning review can move forward, his board could not approve the application unless the applicant was granted a waiver by the Woodbury Village Board for the water and sewer moratorium that was recently extended. However, Gerver, noted, the board could potentially improve the parking changes, as that wouldn’t impact demand on water and sewer, as retail would.

Planning consultants and members of the board pointed to increased traffic during major holiday shopping events and worried the applicant’s plans did not properly alleviate those issues. Gerver shared that the village’s emergency managers were worried about getting trapped in Woodbury Common during peak shopping periods and not being able to get out to other calls. He said during the most recent Black Friday, Woodbury Fire Department Chief Christopher Burke had to send calls out to state troopers to clear intersections so emergency vehicles could pass through. Gerver said there was supposed to be a joint operation center between Woodbury Common and emergency services to manage these situations in real time.

David Mistretta, General Manager of Woodbury Common, said the outlet has meetings at least 30 days prior to Memorial Day, Labor Day and Black Friday weekend. He said that those meetings have evolved as roadway improvements occur and that they do invite emergency service departments to attend. Gerver countered that Chief Burke said he was not invited to any meetings, to which Mistretta said he would ensure that the chief was included going forward.

The board agreed to allow the village’s consultants and Simon Property Group’s consultants to work together to address issues related to the application.

The board also granted conditional approval for the conversion of the former Staples store into a Sky Zone indoor recreation center at Woodbury Centre and accepted the draft environmental impact statement for Homewood Suites, a proposed 97-room hotel and scheduled a public hearing for Feb. 18, 2026.