Costco (Approved May 3, 2023)

On May 3, 2023, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved the Special Use Permit for Costco. Approval Documents are located below:

• Costco Special Use Permit Findings Statement and Conditions (PDF)
• Costco SEQR Resolution Adopting Involved Agency Findings Statement (PDF)
• Zoning Board of Appeals Response to Albany County Planning Board Recommendations (PDF)

The Applicant (Crossgates Releaseco, LLC) is proposing an approximate 163,000 square feet Costco wholesale retail facility, including an 18-pump fuel facility, liquor sales, and tire sales/installation on 16.46 acres +/- located in the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) District. Access to the site will be provided via 3 driveways, which include a full-access driveway from Gabriel Terrace; a full-access driveway from Crossgates Mall Road, and a right-in-only driveway from Crossgates Mall Road. A minimum of 653 parking spaces are required for the proposed use, with a maximum of 817 parking spaces permitted. The applicant is proposing 770 parking spaces, which include 16 accessible parking spaces and 8 electric vehicle charging parking spaces.

Pursuant to Section 280-1.F.2 of the Town Code maximum lot coverage permitted is 75% of the project site. The applicant is proposing 83.3% lot coverage. In order to encourage consolidation of green space, this section of the Town Code permits a reviewing board to consider all property within the TOD District that is owned or controlled by an applicant if the green space is identified on an approved site plan. The applicant is proposing 1.5 acres of offsite greenspace, proposed east of the main entrance to Crossgates Mall from Western Avenue. The offsite greenspace plan can be viewed on page 16 of 22 of the full plan set and Offsite Greenspace Plan in the links below. The ownership of the property proposed for the offsite greenspace is the same as the site of the proposed Costco.

Town of Guilderland Special Use Permit Review Process

The proposed Costco requires approval of a Special Use Permit (SUP) by the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). Pursuant to Section 280-52.B of the Town Code the ZBA is the lead agency for reviews of SUPs having the authority to permit the use. The first step in the review of SUPs is for the Planning Board to conduct a site plan review and provide a report to the ZBA pursuant to Section 280-52.C of the Town Code. The Planning Board will commence their review of the site plan at their March 22, 2023 meeting.

The site of the proposed Costco is located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Western Avenue/Crossgates Mall Road/Johnston Road. An aerial map showing the location of the site can be viewed in the link below. The map also shows the location of two additional project sites that were included in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) adopted by the Planning Board in August 2020, assessing the environmental impacts of the 3 project sites.

Download the Costco Site Location Aerial (PDF) for more information.

Significant offsite improvements (see link to plans below) will be constructed as part of the proposed Costco, including but not limited to:

• Installation of a roundabout at the intersection of the I87 exit/entrance ramps and Crossgates Mall Road. Construction of the roundabout is expected to commence on or about April 3, 2023. The roundabout was required by the NYS Department of Transportation as part of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) adopted by the Planning Board in August 2020, which included the Costco site and 2 other sites adjacent to Crossgates Mall. The roundabout was required to address an existing high rate of accidents at this intersection (20x the national average). A condition of the EIS requires the roundabout to be operational prior to Costco opening for business. The roundabout is also a critical roadway infrastructure improvement for CDTA's new bus rapid transit 'Purple Line', providing improved access between Broadway in downtown Albany and Crossgates Mall. Construction of the Purple Line commenced in 2022.
• Road diet on Crossgates Mall road, which includes decreasing the existing 4-lane roadway to two lanes and installing dedicated turning lanes at major intersections.
• Installation of landscaped medians on Crossgates Mall Road, which acts as traffic calming.
• Gabriel Terrace is currently accessed from Western Avenue and terminates as a dead-end street. Gabriel Terrace will be improved and extended to intersect with Crossgates Mall Road, creating a 4-leg, signalized intersection with crosswalks. A new sidewalk will be installed on the north side of this intersection providing improved pedestrian connectivity from Crossgates Mall Road to the area of Macy's/Dick's Sporting Goods.
• A new 10' wide multi-use trail will be installed around the perimeter of the Costco site, on Crossgates Mall Road and Gabriel Terrace, improving pedestrian connectivity to the Costco site and surrounding sites. The multi-use trail will also extend to the Homewood Suites/Tru by Hilton located east of the Costco site.
• Removal of the existing exit ramp on the west side of the intersection of Crossgates Mall Road/Rapp Road. Vehicles can currently use the exit ramp at high rates of speed. Removal of the ramp will require all vehicles to travel through a signalized intersection, which will slow vehicle speeds and increase pedestrian safety.
• Crossgates Mall Road Improvement Plans Revised - April 12, 2023 (PDF)
• I87 Exit-Entrance Ramp-Crossgates Mall Road Intersection Roundabout Work Zone Traffic Control Plan (PDF)
• The dates indicated in the roundabout work zone traffic control plan are weather dependent and may change.

In August 2020 the Planning Board adopted the Environmental Impact Findings Statement for the Rapp Road Residential/Western Avenue Mixed Use Redevelopment Projects, which analyzed the following three sites:

• Site 1 - Development of 222 one- and two-bedroom apartments on a ±19 acre site. Construction of the apartments (Apex at Crossgates) has recently commenced.
• Site 2 - Development of ±160,000 square feet Costco retail use with associated fueling facility located on ±16 acres.
• Site 3 - Conceptual development of ±115,000 SF of retail, 50,000 SF of office space, and 48 apartments on 11.34 acres.

Adoption of the Environmental Impact Statement was the culmination of over a year-long process assessing and analyzing environmental concerns and proposing measures to mitigate those concerns to the maximum extent practicable. Adoption of the Findings Statement by the Planning Board completed the State Environmental Quality Review Environmental Impact Statement process.

Click the link below for the Environmental Impact Statement webpage and more detailed information:

View the Environmental Impact Statement page regarding Rapp Road Residential/Western Avenue Mixed-Use Redevelopment Projects.