Progress continues on multiple projects in the Town of Colonie, as it will add an assisted living center and apartments for the town’s growing population.
The Planning Board approved the final site plan for the Peregrine Assisted Living Facility at the regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, Aug. 26, at the Public Operations Center. Two apartment complexes also moved forward in the development process.
Presenting the site plan for the facility was Stan Hershberg of the engineering firm Hershberg & Hershberg. The project that has been in the works for nearly two years will be constructed at 5 South Family Drive in the Town of Colonie.
The 56 units will have 64 beds, and the building will be 35,759 square feet. The building will have some unique features because of the people that will be living there.
“The building only has one public entrance, despite the fact that it has other exits, and that’s for patient control. If you have people with dementia or Alzheimer’s, you really can not allow multiple methods of ingress and egress to the building,” said Hershberg.
There will be courtyards so the people living at the facility will be able to go outside safely. The developer has been working with the Shaker Heritage Society to find a way to honor the history of the Shaker past by including some historical artifacts in the building. The dining hall will also be named after Ann Lee.
One of the only issues residents in the neighboring areas had was a concern with lights in the parking lot.
“We were curious as to what type of lighting they would have in the parking lot. … It’s a very dark area, and if you get a bright light in there, you can’t even see the stars,” said Wayne Larsen, a resident in the area.
To ensure there is minimal light pollution, the lights in the parking lot will not be taller than 16 feet, and they will face down so as not to project light upwards.
The board unanimously approved the project, not having any further questions or concerns.
Early phases of development
Two other projects still in the early stages of development are the Crossings Apartments, where the developer was presenting a sketch plan, and the Hudson Preserve II, which was seeking concept acceptance.
The Crossings Apartments would include two three-story buildings located at 32 and 40 Aviation Road. One building will have 120 units, and the other will have 55 units. Some of the apartments would include garages. The site is currently undeveloped. The next step in the process is getting an application for concept acceptance.
An application for concept acceptance was approved for The Hudson Preserve II project, which includes 11 buildings with 158 apartments at 122-134 Troy Schenectady Road. The town board rezoned the project from Neighborhood Commercial Office Residential (NCOR) to Multi-Family Residential (MFR) in October 2013, making the apartment buildings an acceptable use for the area. The apartments will be similar in design to those already in existence at the Hudson Preserve in Watervliet.
