A massive project involving a new Costco store, other retail space and apartments may be delayed after a meeting held early Friday morning by the Monroe County Legislature.
The unusual time for the meeting, 6:30 a.m., brought complaints from some Democratic lawmakers about the way the process went, and they and the Republican majority also argued over the issue of funding for capital projects. One issue at this meeting was funding for relocating the Children's Detention Center. That facility is now located on land where the proposed CityGate project would happen.
Developer Anthony Costello says he's not taking sides, but he just wants to have approvals needed for his project to go ahead.
"To have this thing, at this point, be in the middle and being used as a pawn, doesn't make a lot of sense after everybody worked so hard to get it to this point and working on a tremendously accelerated schedule. "
Costello says the CityGate project would pump millions of dollars into the local economy and create hundreds of jobs. He says if this legislative standoff is not settled soon, it could delay the project indefinitely.
