Stewart’s has big plans for its Cobleskill store––a new store altogether with a larger gas island and parking lot.
And at least one Cobleskill official believes the plans indicate an improving local economy. (See related story.)
The Saratoga-based Stewart’s hopes to build the new store when the state replaces the nearby Route 7 bridge later this year.
“We’ve sort of run out of areas for new stores,” said Stewart’s real estate representative Tom Lewis, “so we’re looking at shops that warrant new investment––either too small, not enough parking or the interior circulation isn’t satisfactory.
“The Cobleskill store meets all of those criteria.”
Mr. Lewis said the company already reached an agreement to buy the house next door. Plans call for demolishing the house and building the store perpendicular to West Main and Bridge streets.
The gas island will also be perpendicular to the roads and will have three gas pumps instead of the current two.
The store will be larger. The present one is 2,221 square feet; the new store will be 2,988. There will also be 18 parking spaces instead of six.
Finally, the new store won’t look like the typical Stewart’s, with the mansard roof. It will have a more colonial style.
“The Mayor [Mark Galasso] asked for different architecture that would fit in,” Mr. Lewis said. “It’s kind of a win-win. We like to work with local municipalities. It will cost more, but it will be a nicer design.”
The new store has been in the works for more than a year, according to village Codes Officer Mike Piccolo.
He said Stewart’s wanted to build the new store more than a year ago, but the area was zoned residential and it would have been a non-conforming use.
Village officials later re-zoned the area to mixed use, residential and commercial, and Mr. Piccolo notified Stewart’s that a new store was then possible.
“But they didn’t realize the bridge was going to be replaced, so they decided to wait,” Mr. Piccolo said. “Everybody’s happy.”
Traffic will be detoured away from that area when the bridge work begins this summer, so the store is likely to have less business.
Nonetheless, Mr. Lewis said, the company plans to keep the existing store open until the new one is ready.
“The one store will close at midnight, and the new one will open at 5 the next morning,” he said.
Then the old store will be demolished, the gas tanks removed and the new gas island installed.
“That’s our hope,” Mr. Lewis said, “as long as we get through the approval process.”
Stewart’s representatives went to the village planning board Monday night to seek demolition permits and make a request for variances.
“It all went according to plan,” Mr. Piccolo said Tuesday morning, adding that site plan review and acting on variances will come next.