Strough: Answer may not be for a while on F.W. Webb rezoning

By Zander Frost & Mark Frost, Chronicle Staff Writer & Editor

Queensbury Supervisor John Strough told The Chronicle an answer may not come for some time on the proposed rezoning of the Nemer-owned lot on Quaker Road for the proposed F.W. Webb distribution center.

Mr. Strough said he shared his list of concerns with Town staff, several of whom were on vacation this week, and with fellow town board members. He said he aims to circulate it to F.W. Webb’s representatives as well.

“It’ll take some time for this to make the rounds. I don’t have any timetable. If it goes a couple of weeks, and I haven’t heard anything, I will inquire as to why…”

“Once the town board gets as much information as it thinks they need for making a decision, perhaps we’ll make that decision,” he said.

Mr. Strough said it could be “voting in favor of the rezoning or it could be not acting on the request for the rezone.”

Has he heard anything more on finding an alternate location for the project?

“I’ve talked to a couple of realtors who do not want their names known who have some potentially very good sites,” he said.

Mr. Strough said he and the realtors think some “were actually, I thought, better than the site they had picked here, in terms of being more accommodating to what they [F.W. Webb] want to do.”

As for the Quaker Road property, across from Garvey Volkswagen/Kia, Mr. Strough said one realtor told him, “if we could re-zone it to have apartments he had somebody ready and willing to purchase it.”

Mr. Strough said he has spoken to EDC president Jim Siplon “and told him that I would appreciate his help in helping to locate a site that would be satisfactory to F.W. Webb because the neighbors don’t think that F.W. Webb is the right kind of development for the site.”
Has Mr. Siplon gotten involved?

“Well, I assume he is, but I don’t know that he is, because I haven’t been with him. I just mentioned it to him. He acted like he was going to help. And that’s it,” Mr. Strough said.

“I got kind of a ‘we’ll try and help kind of thing,’” Mr. Strough clarified.

Mr. Siplon had not returned a Chronicle voicemail request to be interviewed.

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