Bonacio Construction, Inc. revealed details today on the planned redevelopment of the Price Chopper lot on Railroad Place. Dubbing the project, 'Market Center at Railroad Place', Bonacio unveiled a six story design - five stories containing 1, 2 and 3 bedroom market-rate residential apartments with a variety of layout options atop a first floor to be anchored by mixed use retail space and a new 18,000 square foot neighborhood supermarket to be operated by Price Chopper/The Golub Corporation.
Sonny Bonacio, President of Bonacio Construction Inc. touted the project as "the first new urban re-development project coupling multi-family use with a grocery store in Upstate NY", and noted that the preliminary design is "architecturally sensitive to the classic Saratoga style" which includes tree-lined streets, ornamental lighting and the staging of all deliveries/servicing to the rear of the building, while incorporating "sustainable building practices in anticipation of qualifying for LEED status from U.S. Green Building Council".
The preliminary design includes a large landscaped entry plaza with outdoor café seating and a tree-lined covered arcade in front of the new market which will run along Railroad Place. Most of the apartment units on the upper floors will be equipped with their own private balconies. And parking for the project will be on a two level deck parking structure behind the building. All of the deliveries and service activity for the first floor businesses will be enclosed under that parking structure, eliminating noise impact on the surrounding neighborhood.
Confirming that Price Chopper's commitment to continue serving Saratoga's downtown includes keeping the existing store open until the new store is built, Price Chopper president and CEO Neil Golub added "We continue to research various small grocery store formats across the nation and look forward to working collaboratively with Bonacio Construction, Inc. and our neighbors to design and stock a store that will meet the needs of Saratoga's downtown community," he added.
Construction is anticipated to begin in the spring of 2010.