Firm proposes Watkins townhouse project

WATKINS GLEN—Watkins Brewery Holdings Inc., a group which includes some of the HUNT Engineers partners, is proposing a townhouse project in the former Seneca Frosted Food Locker building in Watkins Glen.
Representatives from HUNT Engineers presented the preliminary plan to the Watkins Glen planning board, Wednesday, Feb. 20. Chris Bond, HUNT director of structures and planning board member, said this was just a presentation on the early stages of the project. He explained the project owners expect to present the plans for preliminary approval within the next two months.
The brick food locker structure overlooks Captain Bill’s, on the lakeside of Route 14. According “Schuyler County, New York: History and Families” by Barbara Bell, the building was established by Charles Taylor Richtmyer in 1945 and was still in operation at the time of his death in 1987.
Bond said the plan is to turn the structure into seven townhouses. He added despite the project being at such an early stage, the current goal is to achieve a fall 2013 start with close-in before winter and construction completed by the summer of 2014.
The plan is to rent these units, and the configuration and utilities will be established so individual sale of the units in the future is possible. Each unit will have three floors with approximately 750 square feet per floor. The units will be two- and three- bedroom. Units one and two first floor (ground level) will be storage and office area. Units three through seven will have a garage space and storage on the first floor, accessible from the alley.
There will be pedestrian access at Franklin/Madison Streets. The remainder of the parking will be surface, allowing a total of two parking spaces per unit. Current plans are for the residents to have access to Seneca Lake via a dock slip to the northeast of the building. Bond said that land is not owned by Watkins Brewery Holdings.
While HUNT is the engineering firm representing the incorporated group, Bond explained several of the firm’s partners are members of the Watkins Brewery Holdings Inc.
The project was submitted to the state through the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) grant process and received an award, making it possible for this project to move forward. Bond said one of the primary attributes of this submittal was the strong correlation that this project had with the current zoning and lakefront planning study.