Staff Notes et
Town of Queensbury Planning Board
Community Development Department Staff Notes
March 21, 2017
Site Plan 22-2017 FASTRAC MARKETS, LLC
Special Use Permit 5-2017 220 Corinth Road/ CI-18 —Commercial Intensive Exit 18 /Ward 4
SEQR Type Unlisted
Material Review: application, narrative, traffic, stormwater, drawing set
Parcel History: SP PZ 51-2016 & AV PZ 69-2016 Hotel, DISC 2-2017, AV 18-2017, SV 3-2017
Requested Action
Recommendation to the Zoning Board of Appeals for relief for permeability and signs.
Resolutions
Planning Board recommendation
Prosect Description
Applicant proposes a 5,800 sq. ft. convenience store with 752 sq. ft. fuel canopy and 2,008 sq. ft. diesel canopy.
Project includes clearing 2.15 acre parcel, installation of new cut on Corinth Road, 2 new curb cuts on private
drive and other site details. Applicant proposes waivers from landscaping requirements. Project subject to CI-
18 special use permit. Pursuant to Chapter 179-3-040 & 179-10 of the Zoning Ordinance, new commercial use
shall be subject to Planning Board review and approval.
Staff Comments
Location-The project site is at 220 Corinth Road on the west side of Exit 18 McDonalds.
Arrangement- The project as proposed includes construction of a one- story 5, 800 sq ft convenience store with
fuel service. The project also includes clearing the 2.15 acre parcel.
Site Design- Fuel pumps with a canopy to the side of the building is also proposed with 10 fuel pumps. A diesel
service station is proposed with 3 pumps.
Building—The building is to be located 133 ft to the Corinth Rd property line and is compliant for setbacks.
The building will face Corinth Rd. The information indicates the building height will be 26 ft. The building is
also to have a drive-thru on the north side of the building.
Signage-The applicant proposes wall signs and free standing signs. A variance is being requested for the
number of wall signs and the size of the free standing sign.
Site conditions-The site will be cleared and graded to accommodate the development. The site is proposed to
be 79%impermeable where a variance is requested for permeability.
Traffic- The site will have 10 fuel pumps (20 fueling positions). Access is planned with a new curb cut onto
Corinth Rd that will allow only right in and right out. Two additional curb cuts will be placed along the new
private drive. The site is proposed to have 39 spaces and has three spaces at the front for larger vehicles —tourist
traffic (trailers/boats tow-behinds). The applicant has not included an interconnect location with the
McDonald's property—Board should consider requesting interconnect. The applicant's traffic report provides
an analysis with the CHA report as required for the special use permit criteria. The report indicates that there
will be 14 additional trips in the morning peak hour and 15 less trips during the evening peak hour compared to
the build-out analysis in the CHA report. The application with traffic has been provided to Chazen for review
and comment.
Site layout and utility plan—The existing site will require connections to the electric, water etc for the building
location and canopies on site. The project includes connection to Town sewer also.
Grading and drainage plan, Sediment and erosion control—the project as identified in the SWPPP will disturb
about 2.155 ac.
Landscape plan—the applicant has provided a landscaping plan maple, spruce and hack berry noting substitution
of species due to availability and preference—Board should consider requesting native plantings and compliant
plantings note should be on landscape plan. Also plans include a mixture of shrubs and other low level
plantings for the site.
Site lighting plan- The plans show the lighting scheme around the site, building and both the gas and diesel
canopies. This overall lighting lumens show staying on site. The canopies guidance is to average 10 foot
candles where the site proposed for the diesel 39.7 avg. and the fuel is at 61.77. The board should consider
requesting clarification and discuss as a waiver as the foot candles proposed are more than the guidance.
Site details- The information submitted indicates the business is open 24 hours a day and will have freshly
prepared foods as a major component of the store services.
Elevations —the applicant has included all four elevation sides where the north side of the building will have a
drive thru area.
Floor plans- the plans show the internal arrangement for food aisles, check out, and restrooms. The floor plan
will need to be updated to show the west entrance as the fuel canopy is on the west side of the building.
Pursuant to Section 179-9-050 the Planning Board may grant waivers on its own initiative or at the written
request of an applicant. The applicant has requested a waiver from the design guidelines to have parking at the
front of the building to direct traffic to the side of the building for fuel services and landscape strip at 4ft versus
10 ft. to adjoining private drive property. A waiver from driveway spacing standards for projects that are on arterial
roads 330 ft per 0-100 Peak Hour Trips where they propose 40 ft and a waiver from footcandle average illumens exceeds
10 for both canopies.
Special Use Permit Criteria:
A special use permit is required as outlined in the Cl 18 Section 179-10-070 for implementation of traffic
improvements.
Harmony with the Comprehensive Plan—The project site is located in the CI-18 zoning district allowing
commercial businesses to seek site plan approval.
Compatibility—the project site area is currently seeing a trend of commercial development.
Access, circulation and parking—the site development has located the fuel station to the side of the structure and
as provided two access points to a private drive to utilize the lighting intersection. In addition, the applicant has
restricted the direct movement on Corinth Rd access to rights in only and right out only.
Infrastructure and services —the project proposed to connect to existing utilities in the area.
Environment and natural features —the project requires compliance with the stormwater pollution prevention
plan due to the disturbance more than an acre.
Long-term effects —the applicant has indicated the development will be part of the developing commercial
corridor providing access for travelers and residents in the area.
Specific Criteria —
The applicant has submitted a traffic study that has been forwarded to the Town Designated Engineer
for review and comment. The applicant has also been provided with comments from the County, noting
the striping at the west side of the intersection at Corinth and Big Bay is to be completed as part of the
project proposed.
Items below outline the criteria that is to be completed within the stud
BB. All uses in the CI-18 Zone/District. In addition to the application requirements for Special Use Permit as
identified in 179-10-040 all applicants for new or modified uses in the CI-18 District shall provide the
following:
(1)A schematic plan depicting the floor area of all proposed uses. The plan shall include a description of the
planned uses utilizing the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Land Use Codes as contained in the latest
edition of the ITE Trip Generation Manual (or a similar successor publication).
(2)An estimate of the trip generating characteristics of the planned uses utilizing the note ITE reference. Should
a project not fall within an ITE Land Use Code, documented trip generating characteristics of sufficient sample
size may be substituted subject to the approval of the Town Engineer.
(3)A traffic impact analysis (or traffic study) shall be prepared consistent with generally accepted industry
practices (including ITE and NYSDOT guidelines). The NYSDOT Highway Design Manual Chapter 5 shall
serve as the standard. The Town and/or its designees may stipulate the form, scope and content of the analysis.
(4)Applicants are required to comply with the Exit 18 Rezone [Traffic] Study dated February 2016 as prepared
by CHA in preparing the project traffic study, as noted below in Subsection 4 a , (b) and(c). Applicants are
subject to the following conditions:
(a)Access to Big Boom Road, Big Bay Road, Main Street, Corinth Road and impacts to roadways shall be
provided consistent with the Exit 18 Rezone [Traffic] Study.
(b)Site specific access and intersection improvements as described in the Exit 18 Rezone study shall be
completed by individual applicants where the project is contributing traffic to an affected intersection. The
Town's Engineer shall advise the Planning Board, during its review process and before it issues any approvals,
about which improvements the applicant should be required to construct.
(c)Where the trip generating characteristics of a proposed project exceed those contemplated and examined in
the Exit 18 Rezone [Traffic] Study, the project applicant may be required to reduce the size or scale of the
project so as to reduce the trip generating characteristics of the project.
(5)The Town may utilize a developer's agreement to memorialize the conditions of approval. The purpose of
such development agreement shall be to establish, in writing and for the benefit of both parties, the specific
parameters, conditions and requirements of the approval which has been granted by the Planning Board and
upon which the applicant may rely in proceeding to arrange the financing and construction of the planned
development, including any public improvements and/or land dedications required in connection therewith.
Nature of Variance
The applicant requests variance for permeability where 30%is required and project proposed to have 21%. In
addition the applicant requests variances for the sign requirements. The applicant proposes 3 wall signs where
only 1 is allowed at 30 sq ft. (or two wall signs no larger than 30 sq ft total). The main building sign is
proposed to be 78.13 sq ft„ fuel canopy sign at 22.2 sq ft, and wall sign west side of building 32 sq ft. The
proposed free standing sign at 76.42 sq ft where 45 sq ft is the maximum allowed.
Summary
The Planning Board is to provide a recommendation to the ZBA in regards to the request for relief from area
variance for the building and signage.
Meeting Hg istory: PB discussion 1/24/17