SCHODACK — A group of neighbors opposing plans by Amazon to build a million-square-foot distribution center next to their homes on Route 9 filed a lawsuit challenging the town's July 2 approval of the project.

The Birchwood Association, which has been raising money for a potential legal showdown with the town, filed the legal action with the Rensselaer County Clerk on Monday.

The town planning board and Scannell Properties, the Indianapolis developer overseeing the $100 million project, are listed as the defendants in the case. The association seeks to annul the planning board's July 2 vote and order it to undertake an in-depth environmental study of the project.

"The town has failed to listen to the public and community," Jennifer Williams, the association's secretary, said as part of a larger statement issued by the group regarding the lawsuit.

The 19-page filing is what's known as an Article 78 petition. Such proceedings provide a way for the public to appeal decisions by local municipalities or state agencies.

The petition claims that the planning board made three "errors of law" when it approved the project, including issuing an "illegal special permit" for Amazon to dump wastes from its truck loading docks into the aquifer under the site.

The suit also claims that just days before the planning board vote, the state Department of Transportation had raised serious concerns about the traffic plan for the Amazon project and was demanding to see permit applications for water and sewer lines in the state highway easement on Route 9.

"None of the issues of plans demanded by the DOT on June 27, 2018 were the subject of any environmental impact analysis, public disclosure or public comment," the lawsuit states.

A state DOT spokesman could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the claim in the suit regarding the traffic plan.

Schodack Town Supervisor David Harris, who has been supportive of the Amazon project, said Tuesday morning in a phone interview that he was not aware that the suit had been filed at the clerk's office. A copy has yet to make its way to the town offices, he said.

"Let me see if and when it does come in, and I'll take a look at it with (the town's legal) counsel," Harris said.

Scannell officials also didn't want to comment on the Article 78 petition since they don't want to comment on pending litigation.

"Under the circumstances, we're under gag orders," Scannell Properties spokeswoman Andrea Martone told the Times Union by phone Tuesday.

The Schodack planning board issued a so-called negative declaration on the Amazon project that allows it to move forward swiftly. Under state law, the declaration means the board did not find any adverse environmental impacts from the project.

The Birchwood Association, which represents roughly 50 households, had argued for months that there was more study that needed to be done due to potentially serious environmental impacts on water and public health as well as traffic flow.

They have argued for a "positive declaration" that would have required months of environmental and zoning review and considerable expense by Amazon's developer, Scannell Properties.

"Concerned residents have tried to work with the town and Scannell to properly address all the impacts associated with a project of this magnitude, but the project was pushed through without a hard look at all the factors and time for residents to resolve concerns," Williams said in the statement that she read to the Times Union on Tuesday morning.

"The stakes are high, drinking water is a finite supply and no Schodack resident should ever question what is coming out of their faucet," she continued. "We sought to mitigate but they declined, and we had no other recourse but to file an Article 78. The project was never once presented comprehensively to the public with all modifications and documentation completed."

The project is expected to employ 800 people and cost $100 million to build. Scannell, which will own the building, is seeking more than $13 million in state and local tax breaks.

Schodack has about 13,000 residents. The Birchwood Association is being represented by John Privitera of the Albany law firm McNamee Lochner.