By R.J. DeLuke
Witt Construction in Saratoga Springs
is among the general contractors and developers
in the area busy this spring with
projects.
Witt said he is excited about a sevenlot,
single-family condominium project in
Saratoga Springs on Jumel Place. He said
there isn’t that much room for new building
in the city limits, so the project should
be popular among potential buyers. The
project is in the design stage and will go
on sale this summer.
Each of the units will have its own private
back yard. All the maintenance services will
be taken care of and there will be heated
sidewalks and driveways so no one will have
to shovel snow, Witt said.
Witt noted he is redesigning his Excelsior Park project on 50 acres at Northway Exit 15 and Route 50, near the Marriott hotel. A few years back, he designed it as a condominium development, but the market for condos went bad and the project was stopped.
The redesign, he said, will involve townhouses that will be up for sale, priced in the low to mid $200,000 range. He will also construct some apartment buildings that will make 108 units available for renters.
The new park project will be for single professionals and empty nesters. The park will include a community room with a workout room and a swimming pool. “It’ going to be a great little neighborhood,” said Witt.
A smaller project for Witt Construction will be Picket Lane in Clifton Park, consisting of six homes built on a small road off Vischers Ferry Road. There will be six homes on the road, which will end in a cul de sac. Road construction will start in the coming weeks, he said.
Witt Construction is also continuing work at the single-family housing development in Greenfield, called Old Stone Ridge. Of the 23 lots, eight are left and construction of the next home is soon to start.
Witt has purchased a lot at the end of Southern Road, which he call’s Dan’s View, the highest point in Saratoga county. The home built there will be his entry into the annual Showcase of Homes.
“We have an exciting 2014,” said Witt, whose company will also do some individual home construction and various renovation projects. He said the market is slowing returning to good form and noted that apartments in Saratoga are remaining popular.
Mike Munter, vice president of Munter Enterprises in Middle Grove, said the construction business looks strong this time of year, with a lot of activity in Saratoga County. He said companies are still pricing out projects and bids are being generated. While the economy is still hard to predict, things have been improving.
“Saratoga is its own region when it comes to that,” somewhat stronger than other areas, he added.
Munter said his company is finishing up the new Davidson Brothers Brewing Co., craft brewery at 1043 Route 9 in Queensbury, formerly a multi-screen movie theater and home to The Sports zone and Replay Sports retail stores.
Being constructed is a 26,000-square-foot brewery that will house a 50-barrel brew house with packaging and kegging lines. Munter said it will probably be ready to open in April or May.
A project soon to start is the new Four Seasons facility in Saratoga Springs. Four Seasons has a shop at 33 Phila St. in downtown Saratoga Springs. The new site is at 120 Henry St., an empty warehouse building previously occupied by Warren Electric. That location will focus specifically on retail products such as natural food groceries, organic produce, supplements, and aromatherapy, enabling the original location to offer a larger space for dining, according to owner Richard Frank.
Munter said the 9,000-square-foot space will be renovated inside and get an exterior facelift as well.
Munter said his company is weeks away from completing the new town of Kingsbury highway garage, an 18,000-square-foot structure that will house vehicles, as well as administrative offices for the town.
Also on the company’s docket is a 10,000-square-foot expansion at the Unlimited Potential facility at 36 Cady Hill Boulevard in Saratoga Springs.
Another project to begin this spring is a new Concord Pools showroom and store off of Northway Exit 18 in Queensbury. The company has a showroom in Saratoga Springs. Munter said the new one-story building will be 9,000 square feet, with a open floor plan and lots of glass.
The exterior will have a rustic barn type of look.
Jim Amsler at BCI Construction said the major project for the Albany-based company is the $4 million upgrade to the Schuylerville wastewater treatment plant. The village sewer system has long operated under a consent order by the state Department of Environmental Conservation after leaks contaminated the Hudson River.
The company also has lots available at The Elms at Saratoga housing development in the Elm Street area. There are more than 20 lots, according to Amsler. Three homes are under contract and construction will commence on other lots as customers come forward.