The developer who built the Adirondack Gateway Mobil station on Route 30 is interested in building a 60- to 80-room hotel in the same area.
Town and village leaders are excited about the plans, which would require both municipalities to work together on a plan to annex 50 acres in the town into the village.
“It’s all right in the very beginning of the planning stages,” Mayor Harvey Hart said Thursday. “I can speak for my board. … We’re all for it,” Hart added.
“I just think it’s terrific and hope it will spur more development,” Supervisor Herb McLain said.
The project is being proposed by Mark Murphy of Dimark Development. Murphy did not respond to e-mail and telephone calls seeking comment Wednesday or Thursday.
Officials said there are many regulatory approvals needed along with the annexation. The town and county planning boards will weigh in, as will the Adirondack Park Association and the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
McLain and Hart said they believe the annexation will be relatively easy to negotiate and accomplish.
McLain said the assessment on the 50 acres will no doubt rise with a hotel on the property, providing additional property tax revenue.
“Everybody’s going to benefit. The county — sales tax — the whole thing makes sense,” he said.
Hart said the village has excess capacity and can accommodate the water and sewer demands of the hotel.
“The sewer system will handle whatever he throws at it. The water is not a potential issue. We should be able to handle him with no problem,” he said.
“Now, if he can jump through all the hoops he’ll be performing a miracle. Working with the APA and the DEC can be heavy. … They’re two excellent agencies and they’re doing a good job,” he said, but they often seem to work at odds with one another.
Hart said village officials will discuss the hotel at its 7 p.m. meeting April 8, at the municipal building.
McLain said the Town Board will also discuss the plans at its 7 p.m. April 17 meeting. At some point after that, there will likely be a joint meeting of the two boards, he said.
According to Dimark’s Web site, it has done a number of building projects for federal and state agencies as well as retail development.
Categories: Schenectady County
