In 2019, Amy’s Kitchen broke ground on a new food manufacturing facility on 60 acres in Goshen, NY.

AKRF provided a wide range of environmental and engineering services for the proposed 369,000-square-foot project whose application was prepared and reviewed in conjunction with plans from Science of the Soul to construct a conference center on a 195-acre adjacent property. The SEQRA Findings Statement was adopted in 2016 and Site Plan and Special Permit approval soon followed the same year. 

Natural resources assessments and permitting

In addition preparing the SEQRA Environmental Impact Statement, AKRF facilitated the environmental permitting process with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and New York State Department of Environmental Protection.

Of particular concern on this site were potential impacts to the northern long-eared and Indiana bat species. We prepared a bat biological assessment with specialized acoustical surveying and mitigation measures to avoid impacts to these species and the need for an Incidental Take Permit.

Our permitting experts also coordinated with Orange County to ensure the necessary water and sewer lines could be installed under a future bicycle/pedestrian path in an old, non-functioning railroad bed before the trail was built, but after the County had already cleared the tree line.

Another challenge involved coordinating the transfer of eight acres of land from a secure state psychiatric facility to allow for the construction of an access road to an otherwise land-locked parcel, which would also provide sufficient buffer-distance to the hospital buildings themselves.

Environmental and geotechnical investigations

AKRF provided site assessment and remediation consulting services for this redevelopment adjacent to a former landfill that is subject to a groundwater monitoring program by NYSDEC. Three monitoring wells on the project site needed to be abandoned to construct the proposed facility. Additionally, because of the proximity to the former landfill site and extent of water required for the manufacturing facility, an alternative source of water and wastewater treatment was sought in the City of Middletown a few miles away.

Geotechnical investigations are conducted at the project site.