A popular fast-food chain is being proposed on Brunswick’s Hoosick Road, which already suffers from congestion, and residents aren’t thrilled.
Hot chicken sandwich. Hold the traffic.
Labeled with orange flags, nearly 100 residents met up this spring to simulate what traffic on the already congested road could look like if the proposed Chick-Fil-A is built.
Patricia Keaney and her husband John, Brunswick residents, say they’re not against another Chick-Fil-A in the area, but are troubled by the influx of traffic it could bring.
“This Hoosick Road traffic, it's just got insane. We’ve been talking to the town in hopes that they listen to us, and not allow a lot of, should I just say, Chick-Fil-A to come in? Because that's just going to cause crazy traffic,” Keaney said.
“It’s not just Chick-Fil-A,” Keaney said.
“Yeah,” she said.
“It’s allowing all the businesses to keep coming in here, not adding any infrastructure,” he said.
“Correct,” she said.
“They keep letting them come, let them come, let them come, which is fine. You know, everyone wants the businesses,” he said.
“Right,” she said.
“No one's anti-business,” Keaney said.
“Right,” she said
“But when it comes to a point where the road can’t support the businesses anymore,” Keaney said.
The Keaneys say they, along with many other residents, avoid Hoosick Road and Troy’s Hoosick Street and many of the businesses along the road because of the congestion. Keaney says the town isn’t listening to residents’ concerns.
“I just think they want to continue to say, ‘Hey, we're not raising your taxes,’” Keaney said.
Brunswick Town Supervisor Phil Herrington did not response to several requests for comment.
Chick-Fil-A currently has several restaurants in the region including in East Greenbush and Clifton Park. Chick-Fil-A did not respond to WAMC’s request for comment.
The more than 5,200-square foot restaurant is planned for 727-737 Hoosick Road and 4 Mohawk Avenue. In addition to the fast-food chain, there would be room for a 2,350-square foot restaurant and 3,500 square feet of retail space. Currently, seven single-family homes are housed on the property and would be removed upon approval.
A November traffic study submitted by Maries Muse LLC, the developer, finds that during peak evening travel hours, traffic could increase by up to nearly 200 additional vehicles, roughly half drawn from traffic already in the area.
Recommended mitigation efforts include restriping the existing two-way center left turn lane, providing an eastbound left turn lane at the Hoosick Road-McChesney intersection, and re-coordinating traffic signals.
Local Christie Fronhofer says the town is already too saturated for its current infrastructure.
“It's a safety issue,” Fronhofer said. “The cars are spilling over into the neighborhoods and making them a highway where our quality of life in the neighborhoods has gone down immensely. People are throwing trash on our yards. They're running over our yards. We have to jump out of the way for just walking with our kids and dogs. So, we're looking to draw attention to what a massive mistake it would be to bring in another huge business.”
The location is opposite Brunswick Plaza Shopping Center and Brunswick Square. Both plazas house big box grocery stores, banks, and retail space.
Discussion on the proposal was tabled at Thursday night’s planning board meeting on the developer’s request.
In March, residents gathered at the town’s community center to provide input on the Hoosick Road Corridor Study, separate from the addition of the Chick-Fil-A proposal, by the Capital District Transportation Council. Residents want to reduce congestion, minimize the effects of traffic, and enhance safety.
More information about the study can be found here or at hoosickroadstudy.com.
