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Bolinsky Sausage seeks 30,000‑sq‑ft addition; planning board grants concept acceptance amid neighborhood concerns
Summary
The board granted concept acceptance for a 30,000 sq ft addition to Bolinsky (41 Lark Street) after hearing the applicant describe reduced truck trips, stormwater upgrades and water‑use savings; residents raised concerns about truck routes, late‑night activity and litter.
The Colonie Planning Board granted concept acceptance June 9 for a 30,000‑square‑foot addition to Bolinsky Sausage Manufacturing at 41 Lark Street, with staff and consultants noting stormwater upgrades and reduced off‑site truck traffic as benefits while neighbors raised concerns about truck routing and litter.
Brett Steamberg of Steamberg Consulting Engineering told the board the addition will provide indoor storage and post‑processing capacity that the company currently conducts out of town. "This addition is going to ... provide a lot of reduction in things going on on the site where they're going to be reducing three truck trips per day on average — about 17 per week," Steamberg said. He added stormwater improvements are expected to divert roughly 1.1 million gallons per year from the county treatment plant and that newer ovens would reduce onsite water use by about 1.2 million gallons per year.
Applicant Stacy Waters, identified as the president of Bolinsky Sausage, said the expansion will reallocate existing staff rather than increase employee headcount. "We are just going to be reappropriating staff within the existing operations," she said when board members asked about hiring.
Planning staff recommended several follow‑up items to be addressed in completeness and later engineering submittals: a lot consolidation map, a truck circulation plan demonstrating truck turning movements at peak loading configurations, additional landscaping on the east side of the building to screen residences, and a complete SWPPP appendix. Engineering reviewer Skip (Manning/Craton) flagged the truck circulation plan and SWPPP appendices as items to resolve prior to final submission.
Resident Judy Mch of 28 Lark Street told the board she had observed overnight vehicle activity and litter from employees, and disputed some applicant statements about truck routing. "They have 18 wheeler trucks coming in and out. What happens to the infrastructure? We're going to have to pay for that," she said, asking the applicant and staff to work with the City of Cahose on traffic calming.
The board approved concept acceptance after hearing the public comment and the applicant’s responses. Staff said the applicant will return with detailed engineering plans that must address the truck circulation plan, stormwater calculations, landscaping and construction‑hour notes.
