FULL STEAM AHEAD
Local construction off to strong start in 2018
WILTON, N.Y. » Contractors and earth-moving equipment are busy throughout the area, signaling a strong start to the 2018 construction season.
In Wilton, crews recently cleared a parcel at the northwest corner of Daniels Road and Route 9 where a new Cumberland Farms store is scheduled to open by Sept. 30.
Site superintendent Mike Mashuta, of Guilderland-based Emco Construction, said 30 local contractors are involved with this project alone.
“It’s a good economy,” he said. “Corporations are spending money. Firms bidding on projects are getting work without having to beat each other up.”
Plans call for a 5,270-squarefoot store set back from the highway with gas islands in front. Access will be off Route 9 and Daniels Road.
Also, a new turning lane will be installed on Route 9 at the
Daniels Road intersection.
Cumberland Farms’ primary local rival, Stewart’s Shops, has budgeted $50 million worth of capital improvements this year. The list includes two new stores in Oneida and Orange counties; replacing 14 existing shops with new buildings on larger footprints; and 23 remodeling projects such as small additions, new lighting and counter space.
In Saratoga County, new replacement stores are planned for Mechanicville, Grooms Road in Clifton Park, Route 50 in Burnt Hills, and the corner of Route 50 and Northline Road in Ballston Spa.
“We’ve been on this building pace for the past three years,” said Chad Kiesow, company director of facilities. “The replacement stores improve traffic flow and allow for more food service. The shops are really benefiting from it.”
Also in Wilton, Adirondack Trust Company anticipates an early summer groundbreaking for a new branch office to replace the one destroyed by fire in March 2017 near the intersection of Route 9 and Northern Pines Road. The roughly 2,000-square foot building is expected to open this fall, featuring a modern design that provides abundant natural lighting, plus new technology for speedier transactions.
Across town, site work is already under way on Route 50, near Edie Road, for a proposed $4 million climate-controlled self-storage facility. The 3.4-acre project, if it moves forward, would create about 90 construction jobs.
Saratoga Springs-based Prime Group Holdings LLC is seeking more than $460,000 in real property, mortgage and sales tax savings from Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency for the facility. A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for 8 a.m. Monday at Wilton Town Hall.
A different firm, Northeast Green Tech LLC, is seeking town Planning Board approval for a separate self-storage project with up to 125,000 square feet, just east of Exit 16 on Ballard Road.
“There must be a demand for them,” board Chairman Mike Dobis said. “We’re a society of stuff. You’ve got to put it somewhere, especially with the influx of apartment complexes.”
Custom home builder John Witt, of Saratoga Springs, said, “Slowly, some people are going to jump into the home ownership market.”
He believes this is especially true of Millennials who have come to Saratoga County, lived in apartments and want to put down roots now.
“Saratoga is such a great four-season place,” Witt said. “We’ve got a vibrant downtown. We’re surrounded by parks -- the battlefield, Moreau Lake and Spa state parks. There’s a lot of open space. A lot of people also want to retire here.”
His firm, Witt Construction Inc., has several projects lined up both this year and next.
One is the next phase of Excelsior Park at the end of Excelsior Avenue near Exit 15 in Saratoga Springs, where work is scheduled to begin soon on 18 new townhouses priced from $300,000 to $500,000.
Elsewhere, Witt is developing a single-family condominium project called Downton Walk on the East Side of Saratoga Springs, at 27 Jumel Place between Lake Avenue and Caroline Street. Seven English-style homes ranging up to more than 3,000-square feet, with from three to five bedrooms, will be priced from $600,000 to more than $1 million.
“It’s something new for the market,” he said. “Every back yard is very, very private, but you’re in the city.”
One of the most unique features is radiant-heated brick walks and driveways, making the project maintenance-free in winter.
Witt Construction is also going through the approval process in the Town of Saratoga for a 31-lot subdivision, on 111 acres, called Cedar Bluff Farm on the east side of Saratoga Lake. Work is expected to begin there in 2019.
“We have a lot of work the next couple of years,” Witt said. “Things are looking good.”