Courtesy Gross Electric
By LEE COLEMAN
Gross Electric Inc.’s plans for a 400 unit apartment complex on Route 9N near Northway Exit 21 in Lake George have received a favorable reception from town and school district officials.
Joseph P. Gross, company president, said he wants to build one- two- and three-bedroom apartments on 30-plus acres where a Ramada Inn was once located. Gross purchased the property 10 years ago and leveled the former hotel in recent years for liability reasons due to ongoing vandalism at the old structure.
“I feel it will be an asset and a positive for the community,” Gross said. Town officials feel the same way.
“I’m getting a warm reception from the Town Board and school district,” he said.
The project would provide affordable apartments for young families just getting started. It would allow the families to be close to work in lake businesses and businesses to the north, he said.
Current housing in the town and village of Lake George is out of reach for many young families and people working in local businesses. “It would be an economic boost to the area,” he said.
The Lake George Central School District is “in dire need of students,” Gross said.
He said the Lake George school district has excellent academic ratings but diminishing student enrollment numbers. Adding 200 families with school age children to the district through the planned apartment development would be a big plus for the district, Gross said.
At last week’s town planning board meeting town officials said they have heard many favorable comments about the project. Even if the project brings a couple dozen students into the school district it would make very positive impact, one town official said.
“So far there have been no stumbling blocks,” Gross said. He said the planning board members made some “reasonable requests” such as including some recreation areas in the plans.
“Right now I’m getting all positive, constructive ideas,” Gross said.
Another suggestion is linking the project with walkways to the downtown.
Gross said he hopes to get full project approval from the town by this fall. Ground breaking would be in the winter of 2026 and full build out by 2028.
Gross started Gross Electric Inc. in 1994 out of his garage when he was 28. He and his sons have grown the business into the largest industrial and commercial electrical contractor in the Capital District. The company has a 135,000 square-foot facility off Big Bay Road in Queensbury where between 40 and 50 employees make modular, pre-fabricated electrical systems for large businesses throughout the region.
The company also has an office in Florida and one in Rochester with a total workforce of more than 150. Gross Electric has done electrical work for the Global Foundries semi-conductor plant in Malta and the new Beech-Nut food processing plant in Amsterdam, among other large industrial and commercial customers.
“”We are constantly looking at multiple projects up and down the east coast,” he said.
Cross said his son, Kyle, who has a degree from RPI, runs the day to day operations as company vice president. His son Kevin is in charge of logistics and purchasing.
“I have employees who have been with me for 30 years,” he said.
Gross said the business has been very successful and has allowed him a comfortable standard of living including a house on the lake. He said he grew up in “humble” circumstances on John Street in Hudson Falls. He believes the apartment project will be profitable but the main concept is to make a positive impact on the Lake George community.
He said he could just sit back and enjoy his success. But he feels he needs to give something back to the community. “I want to do something to make a difference,” he said.