Amid Questions, City Planning Commission Holds Approval For New Flyer
Too many unanswered questions has led the Jamestown Planning Commission to table the approval of site plans for the New Flyer facility.
The Planning Commission meet with Tim Shults, Shults Auto Group president; Jason Senske, consultant for Shults Auto Group; Keri Belovarac, Bemus Bay Planners owner; and Scott Grahman, Bemus Bay Planners project manager; about the site plans for the newly renovated facility for the heavy-duty transit bus manufacturer.
Shults Real Estate purchased the former Quality Markets grocery store earlier this year and has been renovating a large portion of the building for New Flyer. Senske said the New Flyer facility will employ around 43 people who will be working on electric circuit boards in the 40,000-square-foot facility.
Jeffrey Lehman, city public works director, said he sent a list of 15 questions about the site plans to Shults Real Estate representatives that needed to be answered. He said most of the questions were not answered prior to the Planning Commission meeting. One question involved a property easement that is needed for storm water drainage from the New Flyer property to another property owned by Shults. Lehman said even though they are both owned by Shults, a property easement is still needed prior to approving the site plans.
Also, there was no property survey, topographic map and landscaping plan submitted with the site plans. There was also a question about the removal of asphalt that overlapped into a neighboring property, which was there prior to Shults Real Estate purchasing the property.
Jeff Nelson, Planning Commission member, said there are too many questions that still need to be answered and made a motion, which was passed, to table approving the site plans. Paul Whitford, Planning Commission chairman, suggested that representatives from Shults work with city officials to answer all site plan questions before bringing them back for approval.
In October, the Jamestown Local Development Corporation approved a direct economic development loan for $500,000 to Shults Real Estate. Since Shults Real Estate purchased the former Quality Markets building in January, they have been working to transform the site. Paul Somers, Shults Auto Group chief financial officer, said in October Shults first had plans to turn the location into the new Jamestown Honda dealership. However, when the Honda franchise was awarded to another dealership, Shults officers were approached by city officials and the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency for the possibility of transforming the building into a light-manufacturing facility.
Somers said the former Quality Markets building has been transformed into two sections. There will be 40,000 square feet for New Flyer’s transit bus production, with 23,000 square feet left of the former grocery store. Sam Teresi, Jamestown mayor, said in October the plaza also includes a former drug store location that is owned separately.
The overall renovation project is being estimated to total $2.2 million, which includes $475,000 for building acquisition and $1,726,000 for building improvements.
According to the company’s website, New Flyer is a heavy-duty transit bus manufacturer offering the widest range of drive systems and operates North America’s most sophisticated aftermarket parts organization. New Flyer was founded in 1930, as Western Auto and Truck Body Limited, and is now the largest transit bus and motor coach manufacturer and parts distributor in North America with fabrication, manufacturing, distribution and service centers in Canada and the United States.
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