(Credit: Courtesy Queensbury Planning Board/Bohler Engineering, 2023)
The Binley Florist property has been sold to Syracuse Hospitality, and they plan to subdivide the property, making room for a Taco Bell restaurant and drive-thru on the southeastern corner of the property on Dix Avenue. The site plan went before the Queensbury Planning Board for the first time, Tuesday Feb. 21, 2023. Bohler engineering created the drawings.
Queensbury Planning sees Binley Florist, Taco Bell site plan
The Queensbury Planning board approved a subdivision of the property at 773 Quaker Road, splitting the Binley Florist and Garden Center from a lot that will hold a Taco Bell, if all goes according to the plan laid out by the property's new owner Syracuse Hospitality. The plan is to build a Taco Bell with drive-thru window near the intersection of Quaker Road and Dix Avenue. The current address of the full property is 773 Quaker Road, but the proposed curb cut for the restaurant is on Dix Avenue.
“We’re proposing to subdivide the 7.18 acre site into two parcels. 5.83 (acres) would remain Binley’s Florist operations, and then 1.35 acres would be for a quick serve restaurant [a planned Taco Bell],” said Tim Freitag of Bohler Engineering. He was representing the new owners of the property, Syracuse Hospitality.
[See our earlier coverage of the Binley sale, here.]
The Taco Bell building will be 2,650 sq. ft., with 32 parking spaces, according to the site plan.
“On this site, what really blows you away is the amount of green space we’re able to propose. The previous area had a lot of asphalt,” said Freitag, adding that the green space will increase to more than 15,000 sq. ft. and be more aesthetically pleasing from the road. More than 800 sq. ft. of green space will be also be added to Binley’s once industrial lot, he said.
The planning board was generally pleased with the site plan, but board members Michael Dixon and Bradley Magowan recommended extra landscaping to the green space, including trees and shrubbery.
“Try to keep some sort of charm in the town, lighting that you may find on Main Street,” Dixon told engineers.
Magowan also had concerns about the traffic in that high density traffic area of Queensbury, and asked that the engineers keep that in mind for the site plan review next month.
“I’m not a big Taco Bell person, but I know there are a lot, so I won’t knock any of them,” Magowan quipped.
WellNow Urgent Care wins approval to replace Gambles Bakery
According to the site plan, The Gambles Bakery building will be demolished and in its place will be a 3,516 sq. ft. WellNow Urgent Care building, at 920 Route 9 in Queensbury, at the intersection with Sweet Road. Wellnow's plan to redevelop the site was approved by the Queensbury Planning Board Tuesday Feb. 21.
“We breezed through the zoning board, everyone thought this was a big improvement to what’s there now,” said Attorney Jon Lapper. “However, they did mourn the loss of Gambles.”
The urgent care will utilize other local medical services such as Ortho New York for x-rays, Quest Labs for blood work, and Glens Falls Hospital for emergencies, Lapper said.
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Having another urgent care in the area initially concerned board member Michael Dixon, who cited how hospitals are important local employers and are in tough financial shape.
However, the planning board was impressed with Bohler Engineer's Caryn Mlodzianowski’s site plan which included landscaping in the front of the building on Route 9, and a back parking lot that can be accessed from Sweet Road. The board welcomed this improvement because it will help with traffic for the busy intersection.
The board unanimously approved the site plan. Construction will last a little over three months.
Sid Harvey HVAC Expansion
The Planning Board also approved an expansion of Sid Harvey HVAC at 39 Boulevard in Queensbury.
The plan for this project includes a 9,192 sq. ft. addition for a new warehouse and loading dock. This will add more than 3,000 sq. ft. to the company’s site.
The board did not find any environmental concerns from the company’s proximity to the shoreline of the Champlain Canal.