NY Union Files Suit to Get Plans for New Station Completed

Nov. 9, 2016
The fire union is suing the city of Yonkers because they have not confirmed plans for a new fire station.

The Yonkers fire union is suing the city because they have not confirmed plans for a new fire station despite ongoing construction projects.

The lawsuit is aimed at preventing the city from issuing a certificate of occupancy at a home improvement store that's under construction in the Ridge Hill neighborhood.

"They almost want to ignore the issue," Union President Barry McGoey old The Journal News. "It's quite troubling because it's a tremendous development and it's a tremendous drain on police, fire and EMS services in the city."

IAFF Local 628 filed the lawsuit to stop the store's opening until plans for a new fire station are solidified or construction on the station starts. 

Developer Forest City Ratner Companies included a $3 million fire station in the development and the union says the details of the station aren't being discussed. The topic of the new station was also tabled in 2011 by the previous mayor.

"Since we've had Ridge Hill built there's been significant development on Tuckahoe Road," McGoey said. "The fire load in Yonkers is growing exponentially and there's not even a plan to address it."

The fire commissioner said the city needs to focus on rebuilding Station 1, which closed after it was condemned in 2015.

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