There are three exciting projects on the horizon for the village of Chatham. Let’s start at the top of Main Street and work our way down.
That big brick building sitting at the top of Main Street (between River and Austerlitz Streets) has been going through some renovations over the past few years and the building’s future is now coming into focus. MetzWood Harder Insurance, which currently has an office on the circle, will be moving into the main floor of the building with the remaining space being converted into apartments. The current addition to the building will be removed to make way for parking and green space. If the planning board approves, construction should begin this summer.
Heading down Main street, our favorite movie theatre, The Crandell Theatre, is hoping to make some cosmetic adjustments to the theatre’s facade. Chatham Film Club President, Sandi Knakal, recently went before the village Planning Board to discuss some upgrades planned for the theatre. The Planning Board asked her to come back with paint color for approval. Personally, I’d love to see the 1960’s-looking facade restored to its original 1920’s look.
Finally, at the southern end of the village, the Planning Board announced that the planned addition to the Chatham Plaza would have little or no negative impact on the local environment. This decision clears the way for the next step in the review of the proposed project to expand the existing Price Chopper supermarket. That plan calls for an addition to the existing structure that will increase the size of the supermarket from 23,000-square-feet to 40,000 square feet and eliminate one of the retail spaces. The largest vacant space is currently the old video-rental store at the north end of the plaza so it sounds as if the plan is to build onto the back of the plaza to create a Price Chopper that envelopes the other stores. Sounds good to me because we could really use a larger supermarket. I will keep an eye on this story and continue to update you with new info.
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