Archive: News

Village of Lansing Planning Board members have been working with Triax Management Group, L.L.C. for months on a project that will bring an 82,000 square foot retail building, 12 senior housing units, wetlands and a bird sanctuary to The Shops at Ithaca Mall.  Tuesday it was revealed that BJ's Wholesale Club is the store that will be moving into the new building.

"It's been a long process," says Triax Principal Partner Eric Goetzmann.  "We've been working with the Village which has been very supportive.  We're excited to move forward and get this moving along so they have a store that is up and operating.  We have a commitment to move forward with this now, to open BJ's as soon as possible.  We'd like to see that happen in Spring of next year."

BJ's Wholesale Club is a Natick, Massachusetts based firm that currently operates 180 stores in 15 states.  Shoppers purchase a membership that entitles them to discounts on products in a large warehouse format.  The company says that it provides 'top-quality brand-name merchandise at prices significantly lower than supermarkets, supercenters, department stores, drug stores and specialty stores'.  The new store is projected to generate $1.6 million in sales tax and bring up to 70 new jobs to the Village.  Additionally it will net $120,000 in property tax, $90,000 more than the property currently generates.


Tuesday marked a public hearing to consider the project prior to voting on whether to approve a special permit that will allow the developers to move a step closer to being granted a building permit.  While the room was filled with students from the Dominican Republic who are studying construction management and regulation with former Village Code Officer Ben Curtis at TC3, no neighbors or other Village residents spoke for or against the project.  Planning Board members were supportive but firm on items like balancing lighting safety with light pollution, plantings, location of signs on the building, and plans for sidewalks and walking paths.  After the presentation the board conducted a lengthy environmental review in which they found the project will have no significant environmental impact.

Triax representatives presented the residential piece of the project to Village officials on June 7th.  This week the focus was on the retail and wetlands elements.  Triax Director of Construction James Bold explained that developers must meet strict requirements imposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as well as conditions imposed by the Village.  He said he has received correspondence indicating that adjustments made to expand existing wetlands has been approved, and he presented a detailed plan showing new plantings and excavation that will control storm water and preserve the wetlands.  Bold said that the project will be built in one phase, and that the developers' intention is to have the store ready to open in ten months to a year.


Triax and Arrowhead Ventures officials approached the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) on June 4th to ask for incentives for the project.  At that meeting IDA member and Tompkins County Legislature Chair Martha Robertson said that the IDA does not support commercial projects.  Goetzmann says that negotiations are ongoing.

"We're still in discussions with them regarding the residential component," he says.  "It's not key to funding it.  It's another option that we're looking at."

Planning Board Members unanimously approved the environmental review and the special permit.  That clears the way for Bold to do the work necessary to get a building permit.  The special permit lays out 18 conditions that must be met before a building permit is issued.  Some of those conditions have already been met, while the rest are in progress.  Village Code Officer Marty Moseley will issue the permit at that time.

"We think it's a great opportunity," says BJ's Vice President and Manager of Club Development Peter Hopley.  "We thing this is a market that is appropriate for our type of use.  Clearly the Village has been working with the developer to try to accomplish that.  We're excited to come here."

----
v6i29