Wemple Corners would be bigger than Glassworks Village
A large proposed development at the intersection of Wemple Road and Route 9W in Glenmont would hold over 500 homes and apartments, as well as over 120,000 square feet of various commercial spaces.
Dubbed Wemple Corners, developer Boswell Engineering last brought plans before the town’s Development Planning Committee in March. The body is a conglomeration of representatives from different town departments that informally discuss projects with developers before the actual review process gets underway.
Director of Economic Development and Planning Michael Morelli said the applicant was sent away from that meeting with suggestions.
No formal applications been received, he said.
Councilman Kyle Kotary said while he’s aware of the project, it remains in the most basic stages of planning.
`We’ve heard of numerous concepts, ideas or intended proposals for the Wemple, 9W corridor, none of which have come to fruition at this point,` Kotary said. `It’s a bit premature at this point to discuss anything without a formal, written proposal made to the town.`
Calls to Boswell Engineering were not returned.
The preliminary design shown in March called for a massive, self-contained, hamlet-type community with a diverse and plentiful array of housing options: 136 single-family homes, 28 twin homes, 200 senior apartments and 180 other apartments.
The developer’s 151 acres spread out from three corners of the intersection; the northwest corner has a different owner. The developer has proposed to change the intersection to a roundabout.
Wemple Corners’ homes would be available at a variety of price points and the community would contain 4 or 5 pocket parks, 2 miles of walking trails and a clubhouse.
Retail would be broken between roughly equal amounts of `neighborhood` and `commercial` retail, with room for a drugstore, gas station and bank also blocked out. By means of comparison, the 200,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter up the road is about 80,000 square feet larger than the combined total of the proposed retail space.
The initial concept, while lacking definition, indicates the developer is pushing for a self-sustained, walkable, `new urban`-style development.
While town planners are tackling hamlet-style projects with increasing frequency, there exists nothing of the scale and style of the Wemple Corners proposal in Bethlehem planning department, said Morelli.
`To a certain extent, it’s probably similar in some respects to Glassworks Village out in Guilderland,` he said, referencing the recently-approved project with 300 living units and 190 square feet of commercial space.
Supporters say Glassworks will provide economic development without impacting the area’s small-town feel. Detractors, however, fear increased traffic and doubt the ability of the troubled economy to support such an endeavor.
Several years ago and also in Glenmont, a developer forwarded plans for an larged commercial-based development with condominiums along the Hudson River, off of Route 144. The floundering Beacon Harbor project is expected to be withdrawn from consideration soon, said Morelli, and the developer will probably seek industrial users.
`I think they began to realize the location was not appropriate,` he said.
Route 9W and Wemple, on the other hand, was cited in the town’s Route 9W Corridor Study as a possible suitable location for a hamlet-style development.
The land is zoned for mixed economic development, which is primarily meant for office space tech companies.
`What they’re proposing, in all likelihood, would have to go to the Town Board for a zone change,` Morelli said.
In related news, a public hearing has been scheduled for a smaller hamlet-style project that’s already before the Planning Board.
The board will hear comment on the Kendall Square project, a development of 112 apartment units at the intersection of Feura Bush Road and Elsmere Avenue in Glenmont. Between 20,000 and 40,000 square feet of commercial space is included.
The hearing will be held Tuesday, May 11, at 6 p.m. in Bethlehem Town Hall. As it is an off week for the board, no other items will be on the agenda. A presentation on hamlet zoning and design by town officials will precede the hearing.
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