NEW SCOTLAND — A trash-collection company received approval on Tuesday to operate at a business park near Voorheesville.

Twin Bridges Waste and Recycling will operate from 129 School Road, but will serve customers in Guilderland, Colonie, Schenectady and Loudonville, said Joseph Puorro, a partner in the business.

The New Scotland Planning Board on Tuesday granted a special-use permit for Twin Bridges to open.

Jeremy Cramer, the town’s building inspector, said Wednesday that Puorro still needs a permit from the building department before the business can operate.

Puorro said in an interview after his special-use permit was granted that he sees good potential for a small business, as large haulers dominate the market and charge high rates.

He said this will be his company’s first venture into the local market.

Twin Bridges’ website says it serves Albany and Saratoga counties, offering curbside residential pickup, along with solid-waste and recycling services.

Puorro told the planning board that his company has two trucks and hopes to have about 1,000 customers a day per truck. Trash will be delivered to the Albany landfill and will not be stored at the site on School Road (Route 208, which is called Depot Road in the neighboring town of Guilderland).

The planning board’s conditions for the special-use permit include:

— Operating only from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday;

— A maximum of four employees; and

— No on-site cleaning of trucks and no storage of more than 50 gallons of oil.

During a public hearing, Sharon Boehlke, who used to work in trash collection, said Puorro’s father and uncle had a reputation for starting up local routes, then selling them to large haulers.

“I know his reputation and what he leaves behind,” she said.

But Puorro later said Boehlke was mistaken — his father and uncle never owned a trash-collection company, although his brother has worked in the industry.

Responding to questions about possible noise at the site from trucks, Puorro said it won’t be noticeable, particularly as trains, which are louder, frequently come through.

Cramer said Wednesday that James Leonard owns the small School Road industrial park under Farlin Corp.

The trash business will be in the larger of two buildings on the site. A vehicle-maintenance shop is in the smaller building.

Storage units

Also on Tuesday, the planning board continued its review of a proposal for self-storage units at 1944 and 1942 New Scotland Road, Route 85, the town’s major thoroughfare.

Cramer said property owners James and Robin Olsen want to put up six buildings that are about 30 feet by 330 feet and one building that is about 85 feet by 235 feet. The plans also show an office building that’s about 3,600 square feet.

The units would be behind the Stewart’s gas station and convenience store on route 85.

The planning board agreed to keep open a public hearing while James Olsen addresses a few concerns. The town also must get comments from the Albany County Planning Board before taking any action.

One concern is stormwater management and drainage. The second is screening, or trees surrounding the property to minimize the visibility of the storage units.

On the second topic, Olsen pushed back against board members urging him to keep the units out of view from the road, saying a business owner wants people to know about his business.

“I think this whole thing of trying to hide everything that we do in this town is ridiculous,” he said. He said the concern about aesthetics is overblown — someone driving by at 45 miles per hour would see the storage units for about a second.

Olsen, who used to own Olsen Hardware and Garden Center on New Scotland Road, also objected to the idea of planting coniferous trees on his property only to have them die later. He said he would ask Stewart’s if it would mind him planting trees on its property to help with a buffer.

Planning board Chairman Charles Voss recommended the extra evergreen trees, but board member Jo Ann Davies said that equipment on Olsen’s land can’t be seen from Stewart’s.

The storage units are the first phase of Olsen’s two-phase project. Cramer said Wednesday that Olsen’s second phase, for which he has not submitted specific plans, is to build 8,000 square feet of retail space.

Chickens

The planning board also granted a special-use permit to Tracey McMahon to allow chickens on a parcel owned by Nancy Deschenes at 38 Maple Road.

The permit allows for 16 chickens in a coop, with no roosters. Manure from the chickens will be used on the site.