COLONIE – The Planning Board, on Tuesday, May 9, approved, with conditions, a new mixed use office/residential building on a vacant plot of land on Route 2.
The land, next door to an abandoned car wash and across the street from St. Patrick’s Cemetery. A project known as Gibby’s Plaza was previously approved for the site.
RJ Valente Excavating owns the property and will construct the two-story building with a 9,432-square-foot footprint for its 2,580-square-foot home office. It will also include 4,370-square-foot of retail and six apartments.
Some on the board cited concerns about the location of a mixed use building, which may or may not house children, on the busy Route 2 but ultimately approved the project by a vote of 5-1.
“I really don’t care for the design, it’s institutional,” said Susan Milstein, the only Planning Board member of six to vote against approving the project.
At the urging of the board, engineer Nicholas Costa, who made the presentation on behalf of Valente, said he would revamp the design to include an enclosed area where children can play in the back of the building. The board did grant approval but wants Costa to come back next month to formally present the changes.
“The building looks great, but if you get children in there it is a safety issue,” said board member Louis Minn, citing concerns with traffic on Route 2 in front of the building and the private, wooded land behind. “There is really no place for them to go.”
The apartments will be two bedroom and are listed as “luxury” on the “for lease” sign sitting on the property a day after the Planning Board granted approval.