Until there is ample infrustructure in place to sustain new development in the Rt7 corridor, I'm afraid that there will just be one failed proposal after another.
PRINCETOWN Pair pushing forward with warehouse plan despite lack of tenant BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Timothy Larned and Robert Iovinella might not have a tenant for the 168,000-square-foot warehouse they’ve proposed on the Rotterdam and Princetown border, but they’re moving forward with the project anyway. The developers are pushing for a final approval on the project with Princetown’s Planning Board, even though McLane Food Service Inc. has decided against moving its distribution center to the property. Board members spent more than an hour reviewing the project Thursday but decided to table a decision until their next meeting. “We promise by August we’ll be done,” said Chairwoman Patricia Bishop. Some of the language contained in the town’s conditions of approval was changed to reflect the circumstances surrounding the project. However, the changes didn’t broaden the scope of businesses that could fit the project. “Under this proposal, if they don’t build an exact replica of the McLane building, they don’t have a project,” explained board member Doug Thorpe. McLane had proposed moving its distribution center in Guilderland to the 27-acre gravel pit off Feuz Road, near the Interstate 88 interchange. The company proposed employing about 175 workers once the project was completed. The project faced criticism from Rotterdam residents when it was before Princetown’s Planning Board in March. This criticism prompted questions about the number of tractor-trailers that would use the facility and noise impact the warehouse would have in the surrounding residential neighborhoods. Less than a month later, a project engineer representing McLane informed both towns that the company was no longer interested in the project. Company officials later cited overall project delays and a recent economic downturn. In May, board members granted the project a 60-day extension after it was requested in writing by an attorney representing the developers. The 15 acres of the project in Rotterdam have already received the approvals from the town. Andy Brick, an attorney representing the developers, told the Planning Board members he was content with the changes and urged them to act on the project, which was first proposed nearly three years ago. “It’s not critical, but it would be nice to have some finality,” he said.
Good move on Larned and Ivonella's part. They will get everthing approved and in order....then they will sell it to a business that fits into those specs.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
I'm serious. It truly was a brilliant move on both Larned and Ivonella's part. I only hope that the people who were against McLanes don't end up regretting it. McLanes was a good sound, neighbor friendly business. Now ya don't know what you'll get. Ya know the old saying, 'watch what you wish for'.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
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