Courtesy The Summit
By Paul Post
An Albany developer has obtained final approval for a unique 110-unit senior apartment complex near Bay Meadows Golf Club, whose nine-hole course will be altered to accommodate the project.
Plans call for a three-story, 52,643-square-foot building on 22 acres accessible from Hearts Way, off Bay Road, just north of Cronin Road.
But construction isn’t expected until September 2027 at the earliest, to avoid interfering with next year’s golf course operations.
“We want to keep that course open,” developer Frank Nigro said. “It’s something we’re going out of our way to preserver. It’s a great amenity for the town. It’s great for our project, for our senior population.”
The project site is in the vicinity of the golf course’s second hole.
Nigro’s firm, Summit Senior Life, which opened in 2011, has similar projects in Wilton, Glenville, Guilderland, Halfmoon and North Greenbush. Amenities, geared for active seniors, include an integrated clubhouse, pool, day spa, pickleball courts, community garden, concierge and private transportation services.
Nigro is the nephew of prominent Capital Region developer John Nigro, whose Nigro Retail Properties firm owns numerous shopping centers including Glen Square/Aldi on Upper Glen Street in Queensbury, Wilton Square and Clifton Park Plaza.
Frank Nigro got his start with that company and launched his own family-run business, Summit Senior Life, during the Great Recession of 2008 when retail development came to a screeching halt. “Now all of our communities are 95-100 percent occupied,” he said. “Every time we build one we try to figure out how to make it better or what the next group of seniors are going to want.”
The Summit at Bay Meadows fills a severe need for such housing as Warren County has the state’s fourth-oldest population (tied with Essex County) with a median age of 47.5 years. More than 22 percent of residents are 65 and older.
Also, as local seniors move to The Summit, dozens of houses will become available for people looking to trade up or enter the market as first-time home buyers.
This is viewed as extremely important because much of Warren County’s housing stock “is older, single-family homes that are not appropriate for those seeking to age in place,” a 2020 U.S. Census said.
The Summit, expected to cost at least $20 million, will have 84 two-bedroom and 26 one-bedroom units. Apartment price points have yet to be determined, largely because of uncertain economic factors.
“It’s hard to say,” Nigro said. “Have you looked at interest rates and the market? I couldn’t hazard a guess right now. We have to be very careful how we price it. Things have changed so much. Everything that goes into construction and building involves gas, oil, diesel fuel. We’re committed to the project and we’ll do it. But we’ll wait for the timing to be right. It’s got to make sense.”
“We do go after the higher end of the market,” he said.
Some residents might come from outside the immediate area, but the project gives local seniors, deeply connected to Warren County, a “high-quality place that allows them to stay in their same community and neighborhood,” said Jim Siplon, Warren County Economic Development Corporation president.
Siplon said the Town of Queensbury identified this part of town as highly suitable for senior housing about 20 years ago, when Bay Meadows Golf Club was for sale. “This was not an accident,” he said. “They (Nigro) went there because that zoning designation had already been created by the town.”
“The town is supportive of senior living projects,” said Stu Baker, Town of Queensbury senior planner.
Warren County Planning Director Ethan Gaddy said, “The 2023 countywide housing study overseen by the county Department of Planning & Community Development clearly identified a need for more senior housing.”
Highly popular Bay Meadows has a driving range and leagues in both summer and winter for indoor golf simulators. Owner Deric Buck could not be reached for comment.
But Nigro said Buck’s sale of property for The Summit allows Bay Meadows to improve the course and clubhouse.
The town granted a subdivision as part of the approval process, which was finalized on September 15.
But another big hurdle must be cleared, in addition to economic conditions and the golf course schedule, before construction can begin.
Queensbury, Moreau and South Glens Falls are all served by the City of Glens Falls’s wastewater treatment plant. The city must prove to the state Department of Environmental Conservation that inflow and infiltration has been reduced in sufficient quantities before new projects may come on line.
All four communities are currently working on a study that will be given to an engineer to quantify such results.
Glens Falls Water and Sewer Superintendent Bill Norton said it’s hoped the DEC will okay findings “as quickly as possible.”
The Summit is one of several pending projects in Queensbury that need the DEC’s approval before work can begin.
According to town Planning Department staff notes (Sept. 15), “Overall, the site plan shows a full senior housing campus with housing, parking, garages, sidewalks and amenities.”