The Brunswick Planning Board advanced three major projects on Thursday, June 7: an update to the Nigro Group’s Brunswick Plaza Planned Development District, High Peaks Solar’s clean energy project and Ace Hardware’s proposed new construction on their current Hoosick Road property.
Nigro Group representative Gregg Ursprung brought an updated site plan before the Board. The new site plan, which is designed around a new Taco Bell and Sunmark Federal Credit Union, included minor tweaks requested by the Planning and Town Boards. The traffic lane through the ATM and drive-up window at the proposed Sunmark was changed to one-way instead of two-way traffic to accommodate a slight increase in green space and pedestrian walkways were adjusted for safety.
Ursprung requested a public hearing waiver for the updated site plan, since no community members attended the previous hearing and the changes were slight. The Planning Board agreed a hearing would likely be unnecessary and the members agreed they would begin site plan approval in July as long as the Town Board approves the project at its June 14 meeting.
High Peaks Solar’s appearance before the Board was similarly brief and amicable. Kevin Bailey, the company’s lead system designer, addressed concerns about wetlands that were discovered at the site of the future solar farm. Bailey said a representative from the Army Corps of Engineers advised the company that the easiest, fastest plan would be to mark the wetlands on the site plan and simply build around them, since attaining a permit to construct in the wetland area would be a time-consuming process.
Bailey followed that advice and received a letter of non-jurisdiction from the Army Corps of Engineers, meaning under the new plan, the company would not need a permit to build there.
High Peaks Solar has already completed a public hearing, an engineering review and a referral to the county. The Planning Board agreed to hold a special meeting at 5:30 pm on June 18 to help speed the process along for the solar energy company.
For Bo Michael of Michael Architectural Services P.C., who represented Ace Hardware, the appearance was not so smooth.
The store’s owner plans to relocate his rental center to an addition to the back of his present store at 831 Hoosick Rd. He then plans to knock down the existing structure and construct a two-story office building on the site. However, like High Peaks Solar, wetlands in the area put a kink in construction plans.
Michael appeared before the Board under the impression that the Department of Environmental Conservation had cleared Ace Hardware for construction after reviewing the site. He said a DEC representative had told him their plans were in the buffer zone for the wetlands, but would be allowed to proceed. However, the Planning Board had not received the direct communication it requires from the DEC as of June 7. In addition, the wetlands had not been mapped on the Ace Hardware site plan, a measure that the Board felt would be important.
Before moving forward, Ace Hardware will need to provide an updated site plan and a concept landscape plan.The Board will also need to communicate directly with the DEC.
Frustrated, Michael and a colleague left the Board meeting in a huff.
“A little guidance would have been helpful,” Michael’s colleague shouted from the door. The colleague declined to provide his name.
Russell Oster, the Board’s chairman, took the outburst in stride. “Even though they’re not here, we will put them on the agenda for the twenty-first,” Oster said with a laugh.