A Taco Bell And Sunmark Federal Credit Union On The Horizon For Brunswick Plaza
By Rebecca Gatto
Thursday April 19’s Zoning Board meeting in the Town of Brunswick centered around wetland protection, traffic patterns, and the promise of drive-thru tacos.
The meeting opened with brief updates on two projects. First, correspondence was read regarding the proposed High Peaks Solar Project slated for land behind the Hope Methodist Church on Route 2 in Eagle Mills. Owner Kevin Bailey wrote the Board to say that a revised site plan that takes wetlands into consideration will be ready in 3-4 weeks.
Interested parties for the Board’s other large, ongoing project—a new, 3,000-square foot building for Ace Hardware—did not attend the Planning Board meeting. As a result, no progress was made. However, Board member Michael Czornyj noted that in addition to recent revelations that the new building plan could encroach on important wetland buffer zones, the site may also have problems with standing water. The Board planned to revisit the issue at its next meeting.
A representative for the Nigro Companies presented a proposed addition to the Brunswick Plaza Planned Development District (PDD), the shopping area on Hoosick Rd. that includes Market 32, Pet Supplies Plus, Goodwill, and Albany Medical Center’s EmUrgent Care, among other tenants.
The concept, which first went before the Board over a year ago and has since been revised, includes adding a 2,050-square foot Taco Bell and 1,840-square foot Sunmark Federal Credit Union with adjoining parking lot.
The proposal was meant to be merely conceptual, the first phase of adding new businesses to the PDD. However, Board members’ initial reactions indicated that parking and traffic patterns in the already-congested area are likely to be a hot topic when the project returns to the Board for a detailed site plan review. There were also concerns about the amount of green space on the project site voiced.