NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The owner of the vacant lot at Eagle and Canal Streets is again planning a gas station on the site.

 

Boon Properties LLC of New Hyde Park, N.Y., was approved on Monday a second time to redevelop the site along with a complete rebuild of the Valero gas station convenience store on State Road.

 

Jeffrey Randall of Hill Engineers, Architects, Planners Inc. said the proposal for Eagle Street is "virtually identical to what was previously permitted."

 

"They did some of the work. They tore down some of the stuff, COVID-19 hit and it kind of went by," he said, adding that he was before the board because the permitting has expired for the project. It also is being refiled with the Conservation Commission. 

 

The property has been fenced off since 2016, when the Planning Board ordered it to cease operations as it had no gas and was operating as a cigarette kiosk.

 

The canopy and small building were finally torn down in 2022. The Planning Board had approved applications to renovate or rebuild the former BP location but none came to fruition.

 

Boon purchased both the 330 State Road Getty station for about $180,100 from Summit Distributing LLC and the former BP station for $59,100 from Leemilt Petroleum of Jericho, N.Y., a decade ago.

 

The existing concrete and curbing in the overgrown and fenced off Eagle Street lot will be removed and a 1,490-square-foot convenience store will be tucked into retaining wall and former mill foundation in the northeast corner. 

 

"They're hoping to use at least one side of that wall, whether or not that'll happen or not ... ," Randall shrugged, "But yeah, it's kind of tucked in that corner."

 

Two pumps and the canopy will face along Canal Street; new tanks will be installed on the east side. Landscaping will be added at the exit/entrances on Eagle and Canal Streets and four parking spaces, including one handicapped accessible spot, will be created on the north side of the property.

 

Randall said the lighting will be on the building or under the canopy as the street lights at the intersection provide illumination; the exception will be a light for the accessible parking spot.

 

The dormant Getty station on State Road was renovated as a Valero and reopened in 2019 after a four-year closure. It had been approved for a new 4,000-square-foot building back in 2015. This time, Boon is planning to demolish the current structure and construct an 1,800-square-foot building in the same location, which would be three times the size of the current convenience store.  

 

Randall said a temporary trailer will be placed on the southwest corner of the property so the pumps can continue to operate during the construction.

 

The renovations will include an electric vehicle charging station, additional landscaping, a bicycle rack and a new roll-off container enclosure. The curb cut on Greylock Avenue will be reduced "for more orderly traffic flow."

 

Randall said a proposed Phase 2 will be the removal and replacement of the fuel tanks once the first phase is completed. The signage, curb cuts and canopy will not be touched.

 

Planner Kyle Hanlon said he was happy to see a bigger convenience store being built.

 

"I think a larger establishment would be good for the neighborhood," he said. Planners had been disappointed when the original plans for the 4,000 square-foot store had been dropped, citing the loss of Price Chopper and easy access to food in the neighborhood. 

 

Hanlon did have a problem with the poor condition of the paving at the gas station, which was supposed to be fixed. He asked if that was in the plans. 

 

Randall said some of the paving would be fixed and some of it would wait until the Phase 2, though he wasn't sure when that would happen. 

 

He said they "don't want to make a total mess of this whole thing ... they'd like to get things working maybe, and then maybe come back in a year and do the tanks, that's their thoughts."

 

Hanlon's condition that the paving at the station be completed within 24 months of the new building getting certificate of occupancy was unanimously approved. 

 

The Eagle Street permit was approved with a condtion that the signage come before the board for approval prior to installation. Randall said he didn't know whether the station wold be a Valero or another brand.

 

The hours of operation for both gas stations was approved as 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.