COLONIE — A reconfigured project to build a mini-mart with eight fueling stations at an odd, triangular chunk of land at the intersection of Columbia Street Extension and Johnson Road is moving forward.
But, the Planning Board still has concerns about ingress and egress, traffic and tractor trailer circulation within the site and aesthetics.
The plan was sent back to the drawing board after it was first proposed in January but the applicant, GTB Fuel Corp., opted to remove the drive thru and restaurant. Instead, it will only be a 4,500-square-foot minimart with four fuel pumps with two stations per pump. The previous minimart was 4,000-dquare-foot but that included the restaurant and drive thru.
The revised sketch plan, presented by Nick Costa of Advance Engineering, was forwarded to the next stage of the planning process, but board members did have questions.
“I don’t know if it needs eight pumps or six would be better,” said member Susan Milstein.
“The devil will be in the details. You look at Ayco across the street and Latham Ford will be developed down the road. We can’t have this looking like a gas station,” said member Steven Heider. “Overall I am in favor of the project. It will clean up a very ugly corner in town, if it is done right.”
There is also now a right in, right out entrance onto Johnson Road.
GTB is asking for three waivers: exceeding the 25-foot setback from the road, allowing parking in front of the building and having fuel pumps in a Commercial Office Residential zone.
The project will also need an approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals to open a minimart with gas pumps within 200 feet of a Single Family Residential zone.