The Town of Colonie Planning Board has granted approvals that move two businesses one step closer to breaking ground.
On Tuesday, Oct. 8, the Planning Board approved The Peregrine Assisted Living Facility’s application for concept acceptance and Albany RV’s application for final review.
Peregrine Assisted Living, a Syracuse-based company, won approval for the site at 5 South Family Drive in Colonie for their intended facility.
The next step is to supply the Planning Board with a detailed, technical drawing of the 35,700-square-foot living facility. The technical drawing will show how the structure will be built and how much water and electricity it will use. The town will then have to determine if it has the resources available to meet the needs of the structure.
The facility will be one of the few establishments in the area that will specialize in the care of seniors with cases of advanced dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The Colonie location would have 64 beds in 58 units, with four shared units in five separate wings. Each wing would contain 14 private bedrooms and a communal kitchen and living room. The structure would also have an enclosed outdoor area and gardens for the residents.
The new site will be slightly smaller in size than the Peregrine’s Beacon Pointe Memory Care Community in Clifton Park, which houses 52 residents in two wings. With a staff of 30 employees, 15 members will be there at all times and there will be 24-hour security. The focus is to emphasize socialization and create a comfortable home-like setting. Peregrine Companies has facilities in Rochester and Bufflao, as well.
Albany RV’s application for final review was approved, which means that they only need to have their finalized plans stamped by the town and obtain a building permit before they can start prepping the land for construction. They intend to build a three-story, 40,891-square-foot superstore at 48 Rensselaer Ave.
The RV company has been working at this since March of 2007 in an attempt to consolidate their four different sites into one location. They currently have the only RV store in Albany County, on Central Avenue, as well as stores in Buffalo, Des Moines, Iowa and Orlando, Fla.
Joseph LaCivita, town director of planning and economic development, said Albany RV’s process ran into snags because of its proximity to wetlands. There have been stalled applications with the Department of Conservation and the Army Corps of Engineers. When wetlands are involved, more research has to be done to ensure the protection of those wetlands and the wildlife that inhabit it.