Amy’s Kitchen updates town on stalled project

Back in 2015, Amy’s Kitchen set their sights on the town of Goshen, with the hope to construct a 369,000-square-foot manufacturing plant on Hartley Road. Nearly a decade later, it seems that they are inching closer to a full-fledged groundbreaking in a separate location at 101 River Road. It is estimated that the plant could create over 200 jobs for Orange County residents. However, residents seem to have several concerns regarding the potential impact that the project could have on the community.

Amy’s is a purveyor of organic foods, owned and operated by husband and wife duo, Andy and Rachel Berliner. With roots in Petaluma, Ca., the $500 million corporation has remained privately owned by the Berliner family since 1988.

Andy and Rachel, along with their nephew/president of Amy’s Kitchen, Paul Schiefer, came to town for the January 18 planning board meeting, which was held at the Goshen Town Hall on Webster Avenue. The purpose of their visit was seemingly to explain to the board why there has been a stagnation lasting some six years, being as the initial groundbreaking ceremony was held back in 2018. Among the list of reasons cited by the Amy’s team were site selection and acquisition, regulatory delays, the COVID-19 pandemic, and inflation. Schiefer noted that each of these elements contributed to the lengthy construction delay, which, as of this moment, is ongoing.

Some residents raised questions to the board about how the construction process might impact traffic in the town. The planning board noted that the traffic survey that they are currently using as reference was conducted back in 2016, after the land was purchased.

The construction start date on the plant has been estimated to be between 2025 and 2027. There still appears to be several issues that require resolution prior to construction. This includes, most pressingly, a sewer and wastewater system that has not yet been approved by the planning board.

There is, however, an additional element to the project that elicited some public comments. Adjacent to the Amy’s Kitchen location is slated to be a spiritual gathering space called Science of the Soul Study Center. According to the Rizzo Corporation, a Connecticut-based contracting company, which has been hired to undertake the Science of the Soul project, the separate building, which is located next door to the Amy’s location, at 106 River Road, will boast a large conference hall, a stage building, an admin building, and a two-floor family building. A representative from the spiritual center, who is also a resident of Petaluma, attended Thursday’s meeting, and proposed a gathering of approximately 6,000 members, to take place this August, in Goshen. The board brought up concerns about the logistical and infrastructural issues which could accompany such a large gathering. They did not address whether or not it would be allowed by the town.

The connection between Science of the Soul and Amy’s, is that Amy’s founders, Andy and Rachel, are both long-standing members of the organization. Andy Berliner did note to the public that the intersectionality between his organic food empire and his spiritual sect was nonexistent, and added that of their 2,600 current employees, only two follow the practices of SOS.