by Thaddeus Flint
“If you build it, they will come.” That was how developer Paul Calcagno described a proposed new supermarket to the New Lebanon Planning Board on Wednesday, September 18.
[private]Calcagno’s plan is to buy the Tilden Plaza which sits at the corner of Routes 22/20 and Tilden Road, demolish it, and in its place construct a 25,000 square foot supermarket. Once that is done, or at least substantially started, Calcagno would go about finding a tenant.
Erin Moore, of Clark Engineering, presented a sketch plan to the Board. It’s essentially the same plan that was going to be the Hannaford Supermarket, that probably would have been built just up the road where the OTB is, had the State Departments of Transportation and Environmental Conservation not scared everyone off. Moore explained that Calcagno’s plan is less likely to get caught up in DOT and DEC red tape because only the entrance to the parking lot would come off of the State highway, an entrance that already exists. Shoppers would exit the supermarket onto Tilden Road, which is owned by the Town. “We’ve really eliminated most of the DOT problems,” said Moore.
“There is no better spot in the Town of New Lebanon for a supermarket,” said Calcagno. The Hitchin’ Post Café and tenants of the Sunday flea market might disagree, but that’s between them and their landlord, Paul Clark.
“In terms of priorities, the grocery store is number one,” wrote Town Supervisor Mike Benson after the meeting. “That is not to say that every other business is not equally important to the Town, because they all make up one big picture that can hopefully result in a return to vitality for all the businesses in the Town. The market is the centerpiece, however.”
Benson is firmly behind the plan. “As a Town, we have to get this done. It is critical to every resident, every family, every senior citizen, every future resident or future young family (essentially our entire population now and in the future) that we have a grocery store very, very soon,” Benson wrote. “This is to say nothing of the positive effect that it will have on every other business we already have, our tax base and the creation of jobs. It has to happen, and our residents need to know that they, too, have a role in seeing that is does.”
Trina Porte of the Planning Board, at least initially, wasn’t seeing things in the same rosy light as Benson. Porte often comes to Town Board meetings and questions, over and over, various details about the assorted large projects Benson is behind. “FYI – another Benson and Clark disaster in the works,” she wrote in an email about the new project on September 3, “Why would anyone want to demolish a place that has several of our most successful Town businesses in it?!!”
Porte, at the Planning Board meeting, brought up the jobs and businesses that would be lost as well as an increase in traffic on Tilden Road as possible detriments.
Calcagno dismissed these points as minor. “It would be a good investment for the Town,” he said.
Porte then wanted to know about possible pesticide use. The Wyomanack River is situated close to the site, she explained.
Calcagno seemed incredulous that someone from the Town was bringing up the possible future use of pesticides at a meeting to approve a sketch plan of a project that would almost certainly not only improve the marketability of the Town to other businesses but improve the general well being of many residents in the Town as well. Nitpicking over details like this so early in a project would almost surely scare off future tenants.
“If the newspapers pick up that you are asking about pesticides,” warned Calcagno, “they [future tenants] are going to drop it.”
“Well, too late now,” groaned Benson, who was sitting in the back of the room muttering and shaking his head every time Porte brought up something new.
Calcagno added that he had spoken to the Hannaford people and knew exactly what it was that scared them away. “I am trying to avoid those mistakes that we made,” he said.
Benson stood up and admonished the Planning Board to act within its scope. “If we lose another grocery store,” he said, looking straight at Porte, “it’s on your back. This has got to get done for this Town.” Benson went on to explain that the County is also tentatively behind the plan which could qualify for a PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) that would help offset some of the costs through a deferment of property taxes. Benson estimated the total cost of the venture to be around 3 to 3.5 million dollars. “A PILOT would mean a more feasible project.”
“Thank you,” Porte replied to Benson’s input. “Are you running for something?”
“Are you?” Benson shot back. This November Porte is actually running for a seat on the Town Board and Benson is running for re-election as Town Supervisor. The prospect of the two of them sitting at the same table is difficult to imagine.
“I’m doing my job,” added Benson. “Hopefully you will do yours.”
After the meeting Porte wrote, “I was in favor of the previous supermarket plan, and I still am. What we are supposed to do as Planning Board members is review all aspects of any proposed plan. It is typical at a sketch plan review, which tonight was supposed to be, that many details are discussed in order to clarify what is needed for a Site Plan, which is the next step in the planning process of any such development project. The questions I asked were only meant for clarification…I look forward to continuing on in the planning process toward a successful new grocery store for New Lebanon.”
A vote was taken at the meeting and all were in favor of accepting the sketch plan with the exception of Porte, who abstained from voting.
Benson hopes that the project will obtain Planning Board approval before the end of the year. ”Once that is done (and that is the part that we couldn’t seem to get expedited last time, among other problems) the developer would then need to secure a market operator, which I believe he will be able to do more easily once he has the site approved,” wrote Benson. “I do feel good about the project for a number of reasons. I also feel that it is a very, very delicate process that we as a Town need to fully support in an effort to achieve our goal; having a market!”
Calcagno said he would like to have a public hearing in the near future to get the input of residents as to what kind of supermarket they would like. “We can build whatever the Town wants,” he said. He added that he knows how important a local market is to a Town. “Every weekend my mother-in-law tells me how long it takes to go get groceries,” he laughed.[/private]