Municipalities like Glenville and Scotia have a similar message for retail developers: Construct new buildings with old character.
At the Tuesday, Sept. 18, Scotia planning board meeting, developers and representatives from Rite Aid were asked to come up with a redesign that better blends in with the established buildings around the proposed drugstore.
Village officials also want to include a one-way entrance to the proposed Mohawk Avenue location. Planning board officials asked developers to make the store easily accessible without causing any further congestion at the already busy intersection of Mohawk and South Ballston avenues.
We are not seeing what we have envisioned for the store. We are willing to wait on the project until we have a sketch that will represent what the community wants from his project, said board member Bob Gifford.
Gifford said another issue is that Rite Aid has requested eight variances from the village, which exceeds the usual amount for any new developers.
The village’s main street of Mohawk Avenue already has a CVS located across from the Sacandaga Road intersection. The proposed 14,000-foot Rite Aid would be located at the opposite end of Mohawk Avenue, where Attanasio’s Restaurant and an antique shop now stand.
Rite Aid attorney Lou Leece said the company is confident they can design a store that the village will be happy with.
`We will go back and work through their request. We know we can work it out and hopefully have something prepared for the October meeting,` said Leece.
Last Spring, Glenville made a similar request for a plaza proposed for Route 50, adjacent to Price Chopper. That project is currently stalled for other reasons, but the Glenville planning board had requested the architecture of the plaza reflect the character of a downtown Main Street. Developers for Rite Aid said that is a trend that is growing in popularity.
`Communities want new structures that blend in, they don’t want to feel overrun by new development,` said Leece.“