Construction of a 134-foot-tall e-commerce distribution facility in the far southwest corner of Pelham Manor was proposed to the Board of Trustees during a meeting in late-November and awaits approval, thought at least one Pelham Manor resident warns of unwanted traffic.

The principals of Boston Post Realty, LLC brought forth the idea to construct a “technologically advanced, best in class building” to receive, package and deliver shipments to shoppers’ doorsteps. Aimed at providing same-day delivery to online customers, the facility would package and temporarily store goods brought from Port Newark-Elizabeth via I-95 before delivering them primarily to Manhattan and along the interstate.

In the first twenty years, Boston Post Realty, LLC projected tax revenue of $69 million. Of this, $17 million would be allotted to the Village of Pelham Manor, $44 million to the school district and $8 million to Westchester County. The developers claim that this income will offset the “envisioned shortfalls” in revenue that may result in the case of retail store closings.

The site of the project, 4301 Boston Post Road, is a 5.5 acre property located behind the Fairway Market in the Pelham Manor Shopping Plaza that is split by the border of Pelham and the Bronx, Boston Post Realty said. Though it has a Pelham Manor address, the driveway access to the lot would be in the Bronx, next to the UPS Customer Center on Boston Post Road.

A study into the building’s potential visibility from residential areas of Pelham Manor was conducted by the developers and concluded that, even from the highest points of Pelham, the facility would not be viewable. Pelham Manor trustees said they plan to look further into this issue, using the Bronx RCA Asphalt plant next to the lot in question as a reference, since its height is similar to that of the proposed building.

At twelves stories high, the construction project would take an estimated 18 months to two years to complete at a cost of $125 million, the developers said. Once functional, the four-floor building would employ 125 workers and be equipped with a fully automated storage and retrieval system that is “clean and environmentally conscious,” according to the developers.

The robotic system would allow the facility to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Since no stores in Pelham have licenses to open at all hours of the day and night (including the 24-Hour Fitness gym), the project poses the concern of introducing a constant stream of traffic as delivery trucks and vans transport packages to Pelham Manor.

Maurice Owen-Michaane, like many Pelham Manor residents, uses Boston Post Road every morning as he drops off his three children at Siwanoy School. He said he fears the project may bring unwanted commercial traffic through the village.

“There is nothing wrong with technological innovation and job creation, but the paramount issues for me are traffic and environmental issues.” said Owen-Michaane. After having lived near the George Washington Bridge, he moved to Pelham to escape the constant noise and construction.

“We need to make sure it is not a steady stream down Boston Post Road that would damage the area and change the nature of this little village,” he said.

The developers of Boston Post Realty, LLC responded to this concern, assuring that “all traffic associated with the facility will stick to the commercial areas.” The intended route for delivery trucks would be Exit 13 of I-95 near Conner Street in the Bronx.

“I can see monumental traffic problems arising from this situation, especially if it is twenty-four/seven,” one concerned Pelham resident expressed at the Board of Trustees meeting. He suggested that eventually, trucks would begin to take Exit 15 off of I-95 into New Rochelle, travelling on Boston Post Road through Pelham Manor to avoid traffic backups in the Bronx.

Maurice Owen-Michaane agreed. “It would be very difficult under current traffic patterns and conditions,” he said. “I don’t know if there is a viable traffic alternative that wouldn’t hurt traffic in Pelham.”

With traffic, environmental, and economic investigations pending, the proposal is still a long way from approval. If it is approved, Michaane says, “the best thing that we can do is try to figure out the best possible way to have the least effect on traffic and emissions.”