The Stewart’s Shops Corporation is seeking to construct a 3,850 sq/ft convenience/gas station in the Highway Business District on the corner of Route 9W and Chapel Hill Road in the Town of Lloyd. Last week the Planning Board continued their review of the company’s site plan.

Tyler Fronte, Real Estate & Development Manager for Stewart’s, submitted additional material that highlighted some design modifications they made to truck routing and landscaping on the parcel.

Fronte said the new plan provides for a variety of sized delivery trucks that will enter the site either by Chapel Hill Road or from Route 9W and their turning radii so that, “all the vehicles can make the movement.”

When Fronte said the project would cover 63% of the lot, Board member Sal Cuciti said that amount is not in compliance with the town code in the Highway Business District, which is a maximum 40% that includes buildings and pavement. Rather than submit a new code compliant design, Fronte said he would be going to the Zoning Board of Appeals for variances on lot coverage and for building height. No other member of the Planning Board commented on the lot size issue or suggested that Fronte return with a new design that meets the provisions of the code. When the nearby Views project was recently reviewed, the Planning Board held them to the 40% maximum lot coverage.

Fronte said the landscaping plan now includes some screening and plantings and 6 ft. high white vinyl fencing behind the building. He said their original submission showed sidewalks along the perimeter of the site, on Route 9W and Chapel Hill Road, “however, after analyzing that a little further they actually weren’t technically sidewalks, they were just curbing, so we will be removing those from the plans.” The board pointed out that sidewalks at the site would tie into other projects to the north and be beneficial from a connectivity perspective.

Fronte said the parcel is out of the water and sewer district and a feasibility study was done with town engineer Andrew Learn. Fronte filed a petition to appear before the Town Board to see if the district could be extended to include their parcel. He asked if his project could tie into an existing high capacity water main on the east side of Route 9W near Walgreens. Learn suggested a temporary solution for their waste water would be to have Stewart’s install a pump station that would connect to an existing force main and at a later date tie into future infrastructure improvements that are being considered for a number of development projects that are in the works.

Water and sewer issues surrounding the project will be discussed by the town’s Water and Sewer committee in the coming weeks.

Learn said the Planning Board may want to require a dense vegetation buffer to shield neighboring residential homes. He also pointed out a code requirement for a 10 ft wide landscape strip around the perimeter of the parcel.

Fronte did not know if all of the utilities are going to be underground, which Learn said the town would want the company to do.

Fronte said there is a full access curb cut on South Chapel Hill Road. Board member Carl DiLorenzo said he has no problem with a right turn in, right turn out, “but I think crossing that road heading west is gonna be a problem, that’s my take on it...It’s worth looking at in depth.” A traffic study of the entire area is due within two weeks that may address this particular issue.

In closing, Chairman McCarthy told Fronte that, “hopefully we can come to some finality the next time we see you.”