FULTON, NY – The Fulton community may have a local eyesore gone and a new grocery store in its south east quadrant by Thanksgiving if ALDI Inc.’s plans are successful.
The Fulton Common Council will vote Tuesday to schedule a public hearing for a zone change at the former Nestle Plant in order for ALDI Inc. to continue the process of building a 17,651 square foot food store at the corner of South Fourth and Fay streets.
“There’s a few buildings there that would need to come down,” Mayor Ron Woodward told OswegoCountyToday.com.
An email response from ALDI Inc. customer service confirmed the company is in the planning process of building a store in Fulton with a projected opening date in November.
Moving through the zoning and planning, there are many hurdles still to face in building the new supermarket.
According to the Application for Special Use Permit submitted by the grocery retailer to the city, “a new full access will be made to Fay Street at the Fifth Street intersection with another “Right In Only” entrance into the site from South Fourth Street,” the application states.
If the grocery retailer’s plan comes to fruition, ALDI Inc. notes in its application that there is minor increase in traffic expected for the area.
The application notes a Department of Transportation permit is required and date of that approval is not yet determined.
The site under consideration runs adjacent to Route 481 where the road splits into South Fourth Street at Fay Street.
The company’s March 21 application indicates it will present its State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) to the city’s planning commission on April 14.
The SEQR is New York State Department of Environmental Conservation process for determining the environmental impact of a project on the surrounding community.
The site under consideration is currently owned by Carbonstead LLC, according to the application for site plan approval.
Carbonstead LLC, owned by Edward Palmer, of Phoenix, bought the 24-acre former manufacturing facility from New York Chocolate and Confections in 2010 after the Ivory Coast cocoa control board failed in its attempt to revive the property as a chocolate factory.
Palmer’s company is dismantling buildings on the site, and it was reported in November that he was sentenced to six months of home detention after he pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act by improperly removing friable asbestos insulation from pipes in one of the buildings.
If it is successful, an ALDI Food Store would be unique in its location but faces grocery store competition in the community.
ALDI Food Stores feature an extreme value retail format, much like the Save-A-Lot store located on West First Street in Fulton.
In addition to Save-A-Lot, a Fulton-based ALDI Food Store would join other area grocery retailers including Price Chopper and Struppler’s Supermarket which are both also located on West First Street.
Other area markets currently located on the east side include Cayuga Street Market, formerly Mirabitos, Sammy’s Meat Market on South Fifth and Pratt Streets, and Byrne Dairy on Emery Street.
Other local grocery retailers include Walmart and convenience stores at gas stations and in drug stores.
The closest ALDI Food Stores to Fulton currently include one on Route 104 in Oswego and one on Route 31 in Clay.
In other matters under consideration Tuesday, the Common Council will hear from the public on the proposed local law to prohibit feeding wild animals and waterfowl on city owned property.
The Fulton City Common Council meets on the second floor of The Municipal Building.
Tuesday’s meeting begins at 7 p.m.
Correction: Sammy’s Meat Market and Byrne Dairy were unintentionally omitted from this story and have been added.
missing or outdated ad config
No Grocery Store at 5th and Pratt anymore?
Hi Mike Hayden,
You’re right, I missed Sammy’s Meat Market at 371 S. Fifth St.
Any others?
~jlr
Byrne dairy on east Broadway
Sounds like a good plan to me. Awesome.
Thanks cory litchison, I corrected the story.
~jlr
It sounds like a very good plan for a parcel that has been nothing but a drain on the community since Nestles left, not to mention an eyesore.
This will do good for Fulton . Just hope they keep place clean of all the Fulton trash. Sad how bad Fulton has got . Like a melting pot of the lazy and unemployed
We live in Volney and since P&C left, there is no place close to run down and pick up a few food items at a fair price, so we welcome Aldi,s to the area!
I would welcome Aldi’s in Fulton. I do most of my shopping at their store in Clay and Oswego. I do not mind packing my own groceries and it is worth doing so for the savings. Aldi’s is also bringing in ORGANIC produce and products. They also carry a fair amount of brand name products. The employes are friendly and helpful. As far as Save-a-lot goes, they cannot compete with what Aldi has to offer.