The Glenmont Plaza is back.
Developers have named the end cap store of the plaza, as the shopping center wraps up its renovation and revival following the departure of the former Grand Union supermarket. A 10,000-square-foot Dollar Tree is coming in and will be the finishing touch to the plaza that is now filled with a number of tenants.
Michael Mundy, a representative from the firm Benderson Development Company, LLC, out of Buffalo, gave a presentation to the town’s planning board on Tuesday, Feb. 18, and was granted a site plan amendment by the board on Tuesday, March 3.
He said a dollar store was a desirable tenant for the plaza because it’s a low-impact tenant with high sales and a popular stop with local shoppers. Mundy said the current mix of tenants, which includes a Bed Bath and Beyond, Creative Kitchens and a Marshall’s, would make an attractive location for shopping.
`By doing this Dollar Tree deal, it’s a kind of small deal, but it completes the whole project,` he said.
Part of the proposed amendment would include a reconfiguration of the large parking lot and the creation of `Main Street feel parking` in front of the tenants around the plaza, according to Mundy.
The new Dollar Tree store will have its merchandise loaded into the store from behind the building.
The site plans also call for new landscaping around the plaza edifice, extending the sidewalk along Route 9W into the plaza and making the site completely handicap accessible.
`This new configuration would add nine spots to the parking,` Mundy told the board.
Because of the size of the parking lot, Mundy told the board that developers might include some type of restaurant business on the other end of the lot in the future, possibly, he said, with a dining patio.
There was a lengthy discussion between Mundy, board member John Smolinsky and chairman George Leveille over the signage involved with the site plan.
`We, as a company, don’t like the box sign,` Mundy said.
At an earlier meeting, Smolinsky asked if the signs with single channel letters, which are lit internally, are allowed for shopping plazas.
`This type of lighting was approved in a previous permit,` Leveille said.
Smolinsky brought up the signage issue again during the March 3 meeting, when the board was preparing to adopt its minutes from the Feb. 18 meeting. He said he didn’t believe the minutes were accurately `articulated` and that more could have been recorded on the comments made by him and others involving the signage issue.
The board tabled approving the minutes, and Leveille suggested that Smolinsky submit some of his thoughts to be included in the minutes to be adopted at the next planning board meeting.
`I’m not looking for a verbatim discussion on all of these topics,` he said, adding, `I’d be glad to suggest a few sentences.`
Continuing, he said, the current town code may have to be looked at.
`A future amendment is in order,` Smolinsky said. `My problem isn’t with this project, it’s the interpretation of the laws for shopping centers.`
Director of Economic Development and Planning Michael Morelli said the developers turned around what was a mostly empty plaza.
`They’ve done significant improvements,` he said. `I think they’ve really turned this site around.`
Daniel Coffey, the board’s newest member, agreed with Morelli’s assessment.
`I think it will be wonderful to fill this plaza out,` said Coffey.“