COLONIE – Key Development Partners of Albany (KDP), has proposed a 30,000-square-foot electric vehicle facility on Central Avenue in Colonie. The former Maywood Academy site, vacant since August 2022, could be transformed into a state-of-the-art electric vehicle service center, including a 3,000-square-foot showroom, service stations, and 366 parking spaces.
Built in 1935, the Maywood Academy was a South Colonie K-12 school on the corner of Central Avenue and Culver Avenue. Between 1952 and 1974, expansions were made to the building in the form of seven additional classrooms, a faculty room, a kitchen, and entry and storage rooms to accommodate the growing population. This would later provide an ideal educational institute for the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES).
According to Capital Region BOCES, the Central Avenue location served as a Capital Region BOCES Special Education center for 43 years. In August 2022, the building ceased its role as an educational space for Capital Region BOCES programs. A new, modern teaching and learning space, located at 925A Watervliet Shaker Road in Albany, is now home to their Maywood Academy, alongside their Career & Technical Education Center.
Sean Maguire, Director of Planning and Economic Development in Colonie, stated that the town’s central location makes it attractive to businesses seeking to locate in Upstate New York, likely being an appealing spot for new EV markets to make their way into the Capital Region.
KDP has recently put in an application to demolish the existing school building and construct a new 30,000-square-foot electric vehicle service center. The sketch plans illustrate an expansive 3,000-square-foot showroom, service stations, and 366 parking spaces, and intends to offer a lineup of new electric vehicles to the capital district, as well as deliveries and servicing.
Media reports suggest that KDP’s application is in representation of Tesla, given that company has represented the brand in several cities across the country. The company would not confirm that last week, however.
During the board meeting, concerns were raised about the unique approach of the facility, resembling more of a gallery than a traditional car dealership. The Planning Board expressed concerns about hazards, proximity to a residential area, parking, delivery volumes, and the overall impact on the neighborhood.
Steven Panko, a representative for KDP, said at the meeting that no test drives will occur on-site.
“It’s the new age of a car dealership. You don’t go in and buy a car and negotiate. None of that happens,” Panko explained. “You go online, order your car, [and] you can go look at cars and see what’s there and see the different models, but you do not drive off with a car there.”
Panko briefly addressed safety concerns, stating that hazards such as battery explosions are rare, and are often under control. The board continued to press to address potential concerns, and requested justification and safety procedures going forward.
KDP considered purchasing the land from the former Farmer Boy Diner beside the property to provide a buffer between the dealership and the neighborhood, but reported the asking price to be higher than that of the school, thus they were turned away from the idea.
Though the proposal dropped from 408 parking spots to 366, the board suggested finding a way to further cut down parking spots from 366 to 320 to offer some distance between Culver Avenue and the dealership. With no visible charging stations in the sketch plans, the parking lot spaces appear to be intended for cars being serviced.
When it comes to the volume of sales in a month, Panko had little data to share due to the sales being online rather than physical. He references one of their sites in Indiana, where there is roughly one delivery every four days, though statistics are likely to differ in New York. In order to accommodate these deliveries as well as incoming and outgoing traffic, the Board was open to considering a curb cut on Central Avenue to make way for car carriers, but weren’t quite fond of two curb cuts on Central and one on Culver. They want to mitigate the impact to the residents on Culver Avenue by avoiding carriers entering there, and are pushing for an entry point via Central Avenue.
According to the proposal application, the building will have exterior features that will blend into the existing environment and in accordance with the Design Standards. The buildings will be commercial in appearance and consistent with other commercial buildings located in the area. Landscaping will plant new trees and existing trees will be maintained along the perimeter of the property so that the visual impact will be minimized and mitigated. The Board intends to keep the property attractive, and is pushing for more green space between the dealership and the Culver Avenue neighborhood, and are looking at design revisions in the near future.
