A New Stewart’s Store For Center Brunswick
By Doug La Rocque
The Stewarts Ice Cream Corporation first approached the Brunswick Planning Board in October of 2016 about constructing a new larger store to replace the one that is currently at the corner of NY Routes 7 and 142. At its November 15 meeting, the Board gave the company its final approval for the construction to begin, most likely sometime in late winter or early spring. That approval came with a list of conditions that must be met before the store would be allowed to open.
The lengthy permitting process centered around traffic concerns, and historical preservation. The present structure on the new site, located at the corner of Route 7 and Sweetmilk Creek Road, is identified by the New York State Office of Historic Preservation as a building that has historic significance. That means state officials had to determine if they would require one or all of the buildings on the site to be relocated, or would permit them to be torn down. After several months of consideration, the demolition was approved, with the contingency that some parts of the original building be saved, and that aspects of the present structure be designed into the new store’s façade.
What took even longer was working out traffic concerns. Stewarts originally planned to widen Route 7 in front of the store, to the south with a two-way turning lane. At a public hearing on the proposal, there was considerable opposition, in particular how it would impact the Center Brunswick United Methodist Church. Stewart’s went back to the drawing board, and redesigned the widening of the road, so as to take place on the north side. That, after several more months of deliberation, met with the approval of the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT).
All the components now in place, the board declared there was a negative environmental impact, and approved the application. Stewarts must now complete the purchase of the land before any construction can begin.
Valley Avenue Apartments
The representatives of the proposed 200-unit apartment complex to be located behind Planet Fitness on NY Route 7, presented the draft scoping document for preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). That is required because the Planning Board identified nine items on the Environmental Quality Review Act, that have a moderate to significant impact. According to Planning Board Attorney Andy Gilchrist, this document can be compared to a table of contents, as to how the developer, David Leon, plans to address these issues. The board accepted the draft, and must return the document, with any changes they want to see, to the developer by December 10.
Two area residents took advantage of the public comment period, both addressing traffic concerns. One spoke about congestion on area streets around the proposed complex, the other demanding an updated traffic study from the DOT. The last study done by DOT is circa 2001. Preparation of the EIS is expected to take a significant amount of time.
St. Peter’s Can Move In
After more discussion about a reduction in the number of parking spaces on the west side of the Walmart Plaza on Route 7, the Board gave permission to St. Peter’s Health Partners to move its Rehabilitation Center into the 6,000 square foot space, previously occupied by a mattress store. St. Peter’s needs to increase the number of handicapped parking spots, which are one and a half times the size of a normal parking spot. The Plaza owners have said all along, they already have more than enough parking spots to allow the reduction, but the board asked for a new site plan, showing parking on the Walmart side of the plaza as well, as a condition of the approval.