To the Editor:

As you’re aware, Stewart’s will return to the Altamont Village Board of Trustees’ meeting for a Sept. 3 public hearing. This public hearing will address Stewart’s request for an amendment to the village’s zoning map for the parcel adjacent to the existing Stewart’s from R-10 to Central Business District.

This request is identical to the request Stewart’s made in December of 2018. At that time, some residents were concerned about the procedure for adopting the local law that would change that parcel’s zoning and Stewart’s felt it best to revisit the process to remove any cloud of uncertainty surrounding the project.

Since the December 2018 meeting, there have been several developments in the project that are important. 

First, Stewart’s appeared before the Altamont Planning Board to receive comments from the board about the layout of the site and building placement.

Second, Stewart’s received a series of interpretations from the code enforcement officer about how elements of the code would be applied to the review of the Stewart’s project, including setbacks, signage, parking, and dimensional elements of the site. And ultimately, Stewart’s utilized those interpretations to file for a series of area variances from the zoning board of appeals.

And ultimately there was a legal challenge mounted to the method of adopting the local law.

When some of the code enforcement officer’s interpretation of how Stewart’s should be sited were overturned by the zoning board of appeals, it is important to note that Stewart’s did not contest this.  Stewart’s instead opted to stay the course, and work with the village, its land-use board, and input from the community to develop a project most appropriate in size and scale for the location.

Even when the legal challenge to the zoning was mounted, Stewart’s requested a meeting with the challengers and their representation to attempt to develop a remedy instead of forcing a determination by the court.

The current store opened in 1980, forty years ago. And this project began with Stewart’s seeking a 1,000-square-foot addition to the existing facility in 2015.

Ultimately, Stewart’s feels the new store will better fit in architecturally, provide a better shopping experience, and ensure that the facility can remain an integral part of the Altamont community for the next 40 years.

Chuck Marshall

Stewart’s Shops Corp.