COLONIE — A modified plan to construct a 180-unit apartment complex on 30-plus acres of land behind Faddegon’s Nursery on Troy-Schenectady Road took a step forward last week by getting concept acceptance by the Planning Board.
The plan, first introduced in September 2019, is reconfigured to meet concerns of the town but the overall number of units will remain the same.
The initial plan was to construct three, four-story buildings with 70 units and six, two-story buildings with 68 units and 12, one-story buildings with two to four “cottages” with 42 units. The latest rendition would still have the cottages but calls for nine, two-story buildings with 138 units.
A one-story clubhouse would be built and used for management offices and as a common area for residents including exercise facilities.
There would be 337 surface parking spots and 30 spots garaged. It is less than the two spots required by the town for multi-family residential and a waiver is needed, according to the narrative submitted by Advance Engineering & Surveying on behalf of the applicants, British American and the Faddegon family.
Access is proposed for British American Boulevard and the project, with 360 bedrooms, is expected to generate 128 new traffic trips during the afternoon peak travel hours.
The land is zoned for commercial office and the Zoning Board of Appeals granted a special use permit allowing multi-unit residential.
The project keep two existing ponds and a walking/biking trail weaving throughout the site.
The land has been owned by the Faddegon family for a century and John Faddegon, the current patriarch, said he has been considering a development for a long time but felt this was the right time and the right project.
“There are several ponds and big oak trees and there will be walking trails and fire pits and gazebos and it will be as much about that as the kitchen and bathrooms. That is who I am,” he said during a previous interview. “It’s not that the units won’t be nice, but it will appeal to the people who like to get up in the morning and go bass fishing or take a walk or ride a bike. And it’s right in the middle of an area that has about 4,000 people who work within a half mile so I think it will appeal to people who want to walk to work or ride their bike to work. It’s the right spot for an apartment complex.”
He said the nursery will remain open.
British American owns the office complex located on what would be the other side of the apartment complex from Faddegon’s. The two would combine acreage they own to develop the site.
The Planning Board had a few questions about parking and storm water runoff.
The project will need to come back before the board for final site plan approval before construction can begin.
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