As consumers increasingly try to squeeze as many shopping tasks into as few trips as possible, DCG Development Co. is proposing to build a retail and fueling center along the heavily traveled Sitterly Road.
DCG earlier this week presented plans to town planning officials for a 25,600-square-foot mixed-used project designed for commuters on the go.
The center at the intersection of Sitterly and Crossing Boulevard would increase traffic in the area, but the Clifton Park developer has proposed a series of road improvements it says would alleviate the flow of vehicles and save the town having to foot the bill for such almost inevitable roadwork.
On a 5.1-acre wooded lot across Crossing Boulevard from a self-storage complex, DCG wants to build a 3,600-square-foot convenience store with a drive-thru and gas pumps. It is also proposing a 22,000-square-foot L-shaped retail building.
DCG Vice President Donald MacElroy said the retail building could house a dry cleaners, coffee house, deli, card shop or liquor store. “Things that people might be looking for on the way to or from work.”
The proposal comes as consumers continue to adjust to high gas prices. In the Capital Region, a gallon of regular gas Friday averaged $3.87, down 7.8 percent from a month ago but up 32.2 percent from a year earlier.
A January survey by the National Association of Convenience Stores showed a slight increase in consumers who said they would spend more time in convenience stores picking up items they would usually buy elsewhere, a practice retailers refer to as “bundling.”
MacElroy said it was the project’s prime location more than the bundling trend leading DCG to pursue the development, though he added it would be for “quick-stop type of users.”
A mile away, DCG is still busy filling the commercial spaces created by its renovation project at the Clifton Park Center. Like the 650,000-square-foot mall, the Sitterly Road development would feature easily accessible storefronts geared for busy shoppers. By razing part of the previously enclosed Clifton Park Center, DCG reintroduced to the region the open-air shopping center concept, which is popular on the West Coast.
To address traffic concerns in the area, the developer will build right turn lanes for both Sitterly and Crossing roads. It will also adjust the intersection’s traffic light to accommodate for those new lanes. Given Clifton Park’s robust growth, the town would eventually have to pursue such roadwork, said Clifton Park Planning Director John Scavo.
“If you can do it on their dime, it helps everyone in the long run,” Scavo said.
Categories: Business
