#BlessingsTavernII #ComingSoon #JimFranco #SpotlightNews
COLONIE – Blessings Tavern II is coming soon.
According to a post on Facebook by the tavern’s owner, Elizabeth Bennett Altrock, the Small Business Administration approved a loan and that means the “last obstacle has been surmounted.”
“Now the contract will be finalized and the building begins,” she wrote. “It has been a very long journey.”
The tavern was destroyed on Oct. 28, 2016 when a vehicle driven by Michael Carr smashed into a car parked outside the establishment at the intersection of Watervliet Shaker and Consaul roads.
The fiery crash destroyed the tavern and seriously injuring 16-year-old Niko DiNovo, who fought for 508 days before succumbing. Three others were injured.
Carr pleaded guilty to felony assault and misdemeanor DWAI in December, 2017, and is currently serving a six-year sentence.
What was left of Blessings after the fire was extinguished was demolished and the land has remained vacant while Altrock worked on getting funding and the necessary town approvals to re-build.
The new tavern will be called Blessings Tavern II, according to the post on Facebook.
“Now let all the negative rumors be laid to rest,” she wrote, “will let you know when the groundbreaking party will be.”
On May 18, 2017, Altrock went before the Zoning Board of Appeals – armed with 1,446 signatures of people in support – to get variances to expand the front of the building to accommodate a handicapped bathroom and the addition of a roof overhang with an enclosed handicapped entrance. They board voted unanimously to grant the waivers.
The tavern, established in 1950, is in the middle of a residential neighborhood zoned for single family homes, but is grandfathered in as a non-conforming use.