22 Acres of Riverfront Property to Open up for Redevelopment
American Sugar Refining, (ASR), the parent company of Domino Sugar, issued the below press release on June 20.
American Sugar Refining, Inc. (ASR), part of the ASR Group® of companies, is making strategic operational investments and optimizations to its U.S. business that are strengthening the sweetener company’s ability to provide superior service to its customers, while operating more efficiently and sustainably.
“ASR’s strategically positioned network of operations is one of our core strengths, and staying ahead of evolving customer demands is essential to maintaining our competitive advantage,” said Doug Romain, ASR’s Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “Our multi-year strategy includes major investments in acquisitions, new facility construction, expansions and modernization of existing assets as well as capital and process improvement projects that are making our operations and supply chain network even stronger.”
In the U.S., ASR’s strategy includes complementing its large-scale refineries with more flexible production facilities that are strategically located to best serve its customers and deliver a diverse portfolio of sweetener products when needed by customers.
To support this strategy, ASR acquired the Rochester, NY-based sweetener company, ingredientsPLUS (IP) last year, with production facilities in Lakeville, NY and Landisville, PA to service the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. The company is also investing in the construction of a new bulk transfer and liquid melt station in the Northeast with access to rail and major transportation routes, which is planned to begin operating next year. At another facility in the region, ASR is investing in an expansion to double the size of its Buffalo plant.
ASR also transitioned its Chalmette Refinery, in Louisiana, and its Baltimore Refinery, in Maryland, into continuous operations to gain increased operational efficiencies and improve sustainability.
As part of its strategy and investments in its northeast facilities, ASR will be closing its Yonkers Refinery at the end of 2025.
“Throughout our history, we have made considerable investments and operational changes to meet our customers’ sweetening needs,” said Rob Sproull, Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and New Product Development. “These recent changes are simply an extension of our continuous improvement journey to provide exceptional customer value and service. We will continue to operate large cane sugar refineries across the U.S. with the capacity to meet our customers’ cane sugar requirements. And, now, we’re further complementing the capabilities of our refineries with smaller, more flexible operations to effectively service our customers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S. geographies.”
Mayor Mike Spano said, “The Domino Sugar refinery has been part of Yonkers for over two decades, and the location itself has operated as a sugar refinery for more than 130 years,” Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said in a statement, reacting to the news. “While it’s tough to see such a long-standing presence close its doors, this 22-acre site along the Hudson is one of the most valuable properties from here to Albany. We see this as another opportunity to continue the transformation happening in the Yonkers. Housing and recreation are the best uses of the Hudson waterfront these days, and our role will be to see that the interests of all Yonkers residents are met going forward.”
“I look forward to working with Domino on what comes next and how we can move Yonkers forward together,” said Spano.
City Councilman Anthony Merante called the announcement “A Tragic Loss for Yonkers.”
The closing of the Domino Sugar refinery—affectionately known by Yonkersites as the “Sugar House”—is a tragic loss for our city. Built in 1893, the refinery provided more than 300 direct jobs and served as an economic engine for the local economy.
For over a century, this facility offered good-paying, middle-class jobs that supported countless Yonkers families. Alongside other major employers like Otis Elevator, Precision Valve, Stewart Stamping, and Alexander Smith & Sons Carpet Company, Domino powered an era when Yonkers thrived as a proud manufacturing hub. These industries enabled working families to buy homes, raise children, and invest in our community’s future.
We cannot afford to abandon the industrial and logistical potential of this vital waterfront site. Yonkers has a deepwater marine terminal—let’s put it to use. Industry provides real, living-wage jobs and a pathway to the middle class. Our Industrial Development Agency must focus on attracting employers that create sustainable, long-term jobs.
We must stop tax-subsidizing high-rise rental developments that cater to transient residents who work in New York City but only sleep in Yonkers. Our city needs ownership—housing that allows families to put down roots and build equity. Yonkers cannot thrive if our working families are priced out and our seniors are taxed out.
I’ve consistently voted against property tax increases that burden longtime residents—especially seniors on fixed incomes, who now face impossible choices: cut essentials or sell the homes they’ve spent a lifetime building. Too many of my constituents have been forced to leave Yonkers for more affordable states like Florida or the Carolinas. This is unacceptable. Yonkers needs a balanced, people-first economic strategy with jobs that lift people up and a pathway to homeownership that ensures long-term stability.
My thoughts and prayers are with the workers affected by the Domino closure. I urge the company to offer meaningful financial support and job retraining opportunities to help ease this difficult transition. These families deserve dignity, respect, and a real chance to move forward,” said Merante.
