Cole’s Collision tabled to April; 70 people at Planning Board session oppose it

By Ben Westcott, Chronicle Staff Writer

Despite a snowstorm, about 70 people showed up for the Queensbury Planning Board’s fourth meeting on the proposed Cole’s Collision on the corner of Route 9 and Glen Lake Road.

While the applicants were on hand to argue the merits of the proposed auto body repair shop, all the public comments were against it. The Planning Board ultimately decided to table the project again for further review, this time to April 23.

Cole’s Collision proposes to demolish the vacant 2,500 sq. ft. former restaurant and erect a 16,000 sq. ft. building with an office and areas for working on vehicles, parts, wash bay and customer service. It proposes 129 parking spaces ­— 86 for vehicle repair, 43 for customers and employees, and fencing and lighting.

It would be Colonie-based Cole’s Collision’s eighth location. The closest currently is off Northway Exit 16 in Wilton.

The size is zoned Commercial Intensive. The applicant argues the project will bring local jobs, support nearby businesses and provide a service residents currently have to travel for.

Neighbors raise concerns about potential harm to Glen Lake, increased traffic, and the project not fitting in with the neighborhood’s character.

Michele Niedermeyer said she has lived on Glen Lake Road next to the site for 30 years. She said, “Never did I imagine a project to this scale and negative impact to my property value would be allowed.”

“I’m going to be hearing trucks, smelling exhaust as cars idle, and hearing backup beepers when they drop off in the middle of the night,” she said, adding, “lights will shine into my entire house all night long” and “I’ve heard from people around these buildings that paint smells permeate the area.”

Cole’s Collision maintains, “Our facility is designed to operate quietly.”

It provided a PowerPoint presentation called “A Modern Facility for a Stronger Community: Our Vision for Queensbury.”

“Our operations are structured, scheduled and contained — no late-night work, no unnecessary noise, and no outdoor clutter,” it said. Also, “we use environmentally responsible equipment, proper ventilation, and green repair processes to keep air quality clean.”

Glen Lake Protective Association President Paul Derby worried that leaking fluids from damaged vehicles would spill onto the parking lot and wash down into the Glen Lake Fen and Glen Lake itself. The site is immediately adjacent to the Glen Lake Fen, the lake’s headwater, and less than one mile from Glen Lake itself.

Pamela Cembrook of Birdsall Road said the project “poses serious and unacceptable risk to Glen Lake Fen.”

“Even a single incident could have catastrophic and irreversible consequences,” she warned.

Project engineer Luigi Palleschi countered that before a vehicle arrives at Cole’s Collision, “A tow truck has to go through the requirements for cleaning up any spills at the scene of the accident per NYSDOT regulations,” and then “if there are any additional fluids within the car they immediately go indoors and are put in sealed containers and a cleaning company comes and takes those away.”

“These guys understand how to operate a better auto collision center,” he said. “When you hear it you think of the older style facilities, but this is state of the art.”

Project attorney Jon Lapper said, “Cole’s Collision has never had an environmental issue.”

The Protective Association’s Mr. Derby additionally argued the proposal’s “industrial feel” wouldn’t fit in with the area’s character, which he described as “tourist friendly” with an amusement park and ice cream stand — The Great Escape and Martha’s Dandee Creme.

Mrs. Cembrook said the plan is “wholly incompatible with the character of this area,” adding that “a charming restaurant would be far more appropriate here.”

Mr. Lapper retorted, “There is nothing remarkable in Queensbury about a commercial zone abutting a residential zone.”

John Cembrook implored the Planning Board to “do your job, which is to plan with vision for Queensbury.”

“This is a cash cow site,” he said of the specific location. “They could find a beautiful property one mile down the road.”

Mr. Derby argued the plan “lacks an Adirondack theme design that calls for a timber frame structure.”

Mr. Palleschi responded, “We feel we meet the Adirondack style with the stone facade and timber features architecturally on the building.”

Birch Road resident Peter Sheehan suggested the property setup could cause accidents, saying facetiously the proposed layout “is a great plan for a collision center; it will drum up a lot of business.” The quip drew laughs.

The Glen Lake Protective Association is retaining attorney William Demarest “to help us with any legal issues such as the SEQR aspect of the project,” Mr. Derby told The Chronicle.

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