By Neale Gulley<br><a href="mailto:gulleyn@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Neale</a>
The Tonawanda News
July 22, 2008 01:09 am
—
Talk of Wal-Mart by officials in North Tonawanda has a new tone — no longer “if” but “how” the store will be built.
Four out of seven members of the city’s planning commission met on Monday with engineers and planners working on behalf of Wal-Mart to discuss modifications made to existing proposals.
The presentation included Anthony Bellomo of the Rochester firm FRA engineering; Jim Nickles, an engineer with Bergmann Associates and an attorney for Wal-Mart; Marc A. Romanowski.
The main areas discussed dealt with the layout and foliage landscape in the proposed parking area, the design and scale of signs to be placed near entrances on Niagara Falls Boulevard and Erie Avenue and the general appearance of the building.
Planners favor a mixture of two parking lot proposals, one for its staggered tree arrangement, forgoing the traditional rows, and the other for its pedestrian walkway leading from the parking area to the front door.
Planner Joy Kuebler said she thought the proposals have “come a long way,” to meeting the commission’s recommendations.
Variances would have to be granted to accommodate fewer trees than local laws require — now less than 30 percent of the total space to be developed. And a variance would have to be granted to permit fewer parking spaces than city policy outlines for the Melody Fair parcels.
Original plans called for 961 spaces, or 5.2 spaces per 1,000 square feet. Current proposals, intended to increase green space, include 908 spaces. Engineers say that number borders on the minimum considered acceptable by the big box retailer.
Kuebler was excited by Wal-Mart’s intention to plant Liberty Elm trees throughout the grounds. American Elm trees have succumbed for many years to disease that the Liberty variety is designed to survive.
A Wal-Mart store here could be one of the first in the nation to bear the company’s new logo, which has yet to be put to use.
The sign would contain the word “Walmart,” without a space or the star that occupies that gap. Following the word would be a six point “spark” design made up of separate points arranged in a circular fashion, similar to an asterisk.
Planners favored a storefront design with a lower front facade, not included in original renderings which show a two-tone gray and yellow building with two turrets.
“Plaid suit, stripe suit — what can I tell you, it’s all just a matter of what you like,” Nickles said.
Second Ward Alderwoman Nancy Donovan was the only council member in attendance, and said she was concerned about initial proposals to install a 20-foot sign for the store, including space for two other business tenants’ names, near the Wurlitzer Park entrance on Erie Avenue.
“I have to give my residents a little respect there because that’s a residential area,” Donovan said.
The commission opted to consider a smaller sign there, at no more than 12 feet.
A 20-foot sign could still be erected along Niagara Falls Boulevard.
Site plan approval for the project will be discussed again at the body’s next regular meeting Aug. 4, and although it is a remote possibility, such approval could be granted at that time.
Planners Donald Evans, Gary Przewozny, Joy Kuebler and Nathan Marton attended.
“I’m pretty surprised, I didn’t expect to see what I did today. I’m pretty impressed,” Przewozny said.
On the subject of how things have progressed since the environmental impact study concluded in recent weeks, Kuebler said:
“I think they really got a flavor of things we really weren’t willing to back down on.”
Contact reporter Neale Gulleyat 693-1000, ext. 114.
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.