Stewart's Shops via Queensbury Planning (2021)
The Stewart's Shop at 777 Quaker Road in Queensbury, at the intersection with Dix Avenue, won approval for a 744 square foot addition and an overhang to cover the back entrance.
Stewarts at Quaker and Dix
Stewart’s Shops won a site plan modification that will allow the company to increase the size of the building at 777 Quaker Rd., at the intersection of Dix Avenue.
The change to this Stewart’s was part of the company’s overall plan for renovation and redevelopment, said Jennifer Howard a project manager with Stewart’s.
“We do this all the time,” she said.
The building will grow by 744 square feet, added to the back of the building, and Howard said it reflects a need for more space to meet the needs of customers.
Outside, a five-foot-wide canopy will run the length of the back wall and cover a delivery door, an ice chest and some equipment near the building, planning documents say.
After the expansion, the building will get painting and new stone facades on three sides of the building. The project already passed the Zoning Board of Appeals. The gas islands at the front of the building will remain.
The main condition applied to the plan was that delivery trucks would have a one-way entrance to the site from Quaker Road and that the company must install signs to indicate this.
The Queensbury Planning Board took the vote at their meeting Tuesday Aug. 24.
Hoffman's Car Wash, Route 9
The planning board also saw first drawings of the Hoffman Car Wash proposed for the corner of Weeks Road and Route 9 in Queensbury, near the Walmart.
The main issue that concerned the board was traffic in an area known for children and school bus stops. Planning board members said they had been working hard to make that area as safe as possible for young pedestrians.
"My main concern is to protect what we've tried to do on Route 9," one board member said in a recording of the meeting.
Frank Palumbo, with C.T. Male Engineering, which is leading this project through the approval process, said that a community benefit of the project would be continued sidewalks along the perimeter of the property that tie into adjacent sidewalks.
He admitted that the company has yet to complete traffic studies, an item the board was eager to see.
The main entrance to the site will be on Weeks Road, just off Route 9, although the company is also asking for direct access to Route 9 on the north side of the property, across from Sweet Road. This portion of the plan must be approved by the state Department of Transportation, since Route 9 is a state road.
Both the Weeks and Sweet road intersections with Route 9 have traffic signals.
“Having options [for entry and exit] really does help with the traffic control,” Palumbo said.
The project includes a 6,400 square-foot, automatic car wash. Unlike many other Hoffman's locations, there are no oil changing facilities or car washing bays for individual use.
A parking lot on the property will have three employee parking spaces and nine vacuum cleaning stations. The highlight there, Palumbo said, is that the new vacuum system is much quieter than older systems.
People will pay at drive-up kiosks or be allowed instant access if they are subscribers. The kiosks themselves are placed next to each other in the car wash’s driveway, and the width allows a few more cars to fit on the property.
“It decreases back-up onto the road,” Palumbo said.
Planners asked questions about lighting, landscaping and water usage. C.T. Male has already been reaching out to the town regarding regarding both the capacity of the clean- and waste-water systems.
Hoffman Car Wash lists 30 locations on their website, including one full-service location on Quaker Road in Queensbury. This plan is just one expansion of many they are planning for the region.
CTMale Engineering, via Queensbury Planning (2021)
The Hoffman Car Wash at Weeks Road and Route 9 will extend sidewalks on the property to reach those on adjacent properties.