Citizens turned out for a Monday evening public hearing regarding some amendments proposed by chip fabrication company GlobalFoundries for its Fab 8.2 project that will impact Malta's planned development district.
GlobalFoundries is seeking amendments pertaining to clean room space, enlarging the fab's overall footprint, extending building height limits and revised traffic mitigation.
The number one concern among locals is traffic: the biggest change proposed by the company eliminates Northway Exit 11A; the chipmaker is asking the town to substitute additional traffic mitigation instead of paving a new access point.
Michael Relyea with the Luther Forest Technology Campus explains the plans have evolved after it was determined that Exit 11A is not yet needed. Relyea says the idea may be revisited sometime in the future.
GlobalFoundries is also asking permission to increase in building height components, from 110 feet to 125 feet. Some present at last night's meeting expressed concern over the toxicity of the chemicals used at the computer chip plant, that might be released into the air.
Ken Petronis, councilman for the Town of Stillwater, lives dwnwind from the facility and sees no problem there. The company has also requested permission to increase the footprint of the fab from 525,000 square feet to 575,000 square feet and to make its clean rooms as large as possible within that footprint.
GlobalFoundries wants zoning approval to move ahead with construction for the second chip plant, hoping to be granted a building permit before July. Calls to officials at GlobalFoundries were not returned in time for broadcast.
