Yorktown's Trader Joe's opening Thursday: How traffic may impact area, what is being done
YORKTOWN − Officials are bracing for an increase in traffic with the opening of Trader Joe's.
And that congestion is unlikely to melt away as fast as one of the specialty supermarket's Out of This World ice pops.
A swath of Route 202 is expected see more intense traffic for four to six weeks after Thursday’s store opening at 3240 Crompond Road in the Lowe’s plaza, near the Taconic State Parkway.
While residents' enthusiasm for the opening has been building for months, some have also expressed apprehension for how the area may be impacted for those simply trying to travel to homes and other businesses.
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The commercial corridor has several choke points where Route 202 slims down and traffic bunches up. A stretch past Strang Boulevard to the east of the Taconic is one such point. Another is to the west of the Lowe’s development and another plaza with a BJ's Wholesale Club, where Route 202 passes a veterinary center and nears Cortlandt’s border.
The possibility of traffic prompted Yorktown police earlier this month to post on its Facebook page tips and requests to residents for mitigating impact.
The store opening is planned for 8 a.m. Thursday after a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Store hours each day will be 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
What has been done to minimize traffic
Town Supervisor Matt Slater said town and police officials began working with the plaza’s landlord at least eight weeks ago on preparations aimed at minimizing disruption to nearby residents and emphasizing safety for those who head to the 12,500-square-foot store.
Breslin Realty, which developed and owns the plaza, is hiring off-duty Yorktown police officers to help direct traffic, Slater said, and hiring private security to assist.
The town and plaza landlord worked to create 50 or more spaces for store employees by freeing up areas that had been used for outdoor storage. In turn, that provides more parking for shoppers.
“So we really put a lot of effort to proactively improve the flow, the information, and the safety measures there in anticipation of the opening,” Slater said, adding: “Trader Joe’s is a regional attraction – I’ve heard from people in different counties, let alone parts of Westchester, who are just so excited to see this.”
The town made Route 202 improvements that the Planning Board required and were completed before official word that a Trader Joe’s was coming to town. Among the changes were:
An additional lane under the Taconic so that both directions of traffic have left turning lanes to the parkway’s on-ramps.
An eastbound dedicated lane up the hill, in addition to a left turn lane into the Lowe's development and the right-turn-only lane to the parkway’s southbound ramp.
From Mohansic Avenue, a left turn lane, a straight through lane and a right turn lane onto Route 202.
Extension of sidewalk at Old Crompond Road, across the front of the Lowe's property, under the parkway, and continuing to Strang Boulevard where a new crosswalk to FDR State Park is installed.
The Lowe's plaza was approved for a main entrance of two lanes in, two lanes out, and a secondary access restricted to right turns in and out between where the Trader Joe’s and Starbucks are.
All entrance/exits have been finished. The plaza was approved for a total of 514 parking spaces, with 364 of those for Lowe’s. Other businesses are a Starbucks, a Slice Pizza and a AAA travel store.
Slater said officials worked to plan for Trader Joe’s to prevent what occurred when a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen opened in the Staples plaza on Route 202and lines of traffic went out into the road.
Yorktown police on July 6 posted suggestions for residents in regard to the traffic. "We're planning for it, but there ain't no getting around it, there will be traffic on Route 202," the post read.
Among the suggestions, police said:
Those not visiting Trader Joe's or another business directly in the area should learn other routes on local roads to circumvent congestion.
Don't block intersections when turning out of the parking lot.
Visit at off-peak times.
Walk to the store or use transportation other than a car.
"Sometimes, going a bit out of your way to avoid some traffic is more palpable than sitting in traffic. If you're using local roads, drive like your kids live there," police said, noting patrols would be increased on local roads.
What residents, businesses say
Slater said he hasn't heard anything negative from businesses about the new store coming.
Down Route 202, Carlos Cruz, owner of the Carlito’s Garage, said he’s not concerned about the traffic.
Cruz said his business is petty busy as it is these days, but that with more people coming through the area “maybe it’s going to bring more customers.”
The Trader Joe’s opening has drawn mostly an outpouring of excitement from residents who've commented on social media, akin to the phenomenon it’s become when new ones open around the country.
When Slater recently asked on the Facebook group Yorktown Community what people’s favorite product from the store was, the answers came quick and specific: cotton candy grapes, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, frozen fried rick and mango mochi, and one other person’s response: “If I tell you, then there won’t be any left when I go.”
The nearest Trader Joe’s are in Danbury, Connecticut, and southern Westchester, so Yorktown having northern Westchester’s first means people may converge on it from far and wide.
For some who live relatively close to the store and use the roads that are expected to see new levels of traffic, the feeling is different.
Michele Squibb, a resident who uses Crompond Road to get to her storage unit, said the traffic “is going to be a nightmare.”
She said she may try to avoid the area for months.
Squibb said many of her friends are senior citizens and that if some of them go to Trader Joe’s it will be in the morning.
“Maybe around November I’ll go and see what the frenzy is about,” Squibb said.
Michael P. McKinney covers northern Westchester for The Journal News.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Trader Joe's Yorktown opening expected to bring traffic
