Crowds of protesters gathered June 1 in the village of New Hempstead, Rockland County, looking to pluck the feathers from a proposal to build an industrial Kosher chicken slaughterhouse on Route 45.
Opposition has mounted to the planned 26,000-square-foot slaughterhouse, with protesters saying the plant is too close to residential homes. Critics say the facility would negatively affect property values and lessen the quality of life through chemical smells and increased noise pollution.
Adir Poultry first proposed the slaughterhouse in 2009, according to The Rockland Times. The project netted a $1.6 million grant from New York state”™s Empire State Development. Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski, a New City Democrat, has been pushing to rescind that grant.
“As I have said repeatedly, an industrial slaughterhouse has no place in a residential neighborhood,” he said. Zebrowski also said he would propose legislation to prevent slaughterhouses from being built near residential homes.
The Rockland Times said more than 150 people attended the protest, including county and state officials. A civic group called Stop the Slaughterhouse has mobilized and rallied protesters via social media.
A flier announcing the protest said, “State tax dollars should not be used to build a slaughterhouse in a residential area and no zoning changes should be made that permit construction of a slaughterhouse.”
The group said the site is under the zoning jurisdiction of the village of New Square, which borders New Hempstead. New Square is within the town of Ramapo, which may also have some say over approvals of the construction. Rockland County officials, including County Executive Ed Day, are among the opposition to the project, but due to home rule, authority of approval rests in the hands of New Square”™s zoning and planning boards.
