by William Matthias
The corner of West Ridge Road/Route 104 and Hilton Parma Corners Road has seen considerable construction over the summer, as Doan Chevrolet is making way for a new “state-of-the-art” facility, while the Hess Corporation plans for a new gas station.
“This corner is going to look like Yankee Stadium,” said Scott Pundt, General Manager at Doan Chevrolet. “There will be plenty of lights, activity and excitement.”
Doan Chevrolet is developing three combined land parcels, totaling 70,262 square feet, in order to expand its services. The company is leasing another piece of property – 1.6 acres on the northwest corner of the Route 104/259 intersection – to Hess Corporation for future development.
Demolition for the new Hess gas station began in early August. Lorrie Hecker, Hess’ director of communication, said Hess plans to open a 2,400-square-foot convenience store with eight pumps in 2013, and that a start date for construction has not yet been determined. The Town of Parma originally approved the Hess project in 2008, according to town meeting minutes.
“We look forward to opening this new Hess Express to serve the community with great customer service and value,” Hecker said.
The tentative completion date for the Doan project is May 1, 2013, Pundt said. Genesee Construction is currently working on the first phase of the project – developing the southwest corner of the property, as well as the north side, across West Ridge Road, for parking and display. Construction of the new 40,000-square-foot building is scheduled to begin after the “grade” around the current Doan building is leveled.
To make way for new customer parking areas, Genesee Construction demolished two vacant, two-story houses on the Doan property in mid-August, Pundt said. The latter was built in the 1970s as a gas station for the Humble Oil and Refining Company and was later used as an office for the sale of used cars, said the Town of Parma’s building department head, Jack Barton. Pundt confirmed that the property was once used as a Doan truck center and used car lot.
Doan’s operations, including the sales and service departments, will be moved into the new facility. The 55-year-old existing building will house either an expanded used-vehicle inventory or another automotive franchise, Pundt said.
“What’s nice is we will be able to have more than 100 used cars indoors on display,” he said. “So when it’s January and you have to purchase a car, when its 10 degrees outside with two feet of snow, and the wind is blowing – there’ll be an oasis of used cars all under one roof. Or, perhaps it could be refurbished and refaced for an additional franchise.”
Pundt said Doan is upgrading its facilities because General Motor’s Chevrolet division has implemented new customer-service standards/requirements based on feedback gathered from surveys and focus groups. Doan’s new facility will include a service drive through and a high-powered electric car charging station for the Chevy Volt, among other amenities, such as store-wide Wi-Fi availability and an internet café.
Construction on the Doan property will allow the dealership to not only expand its inventory, but also to better serve customers, Pundt said.
“We think we can improve our new-car business by about 30 percent and double our used-car business,” he said.
The front of the current Doan building, containing offices and the showroom, will be demolished at the end of the four-phase project to make room for the additional vehicles. The project was approved in mid-July after multiple changes were made, Pundt said. The changes included a rezoning of one parcel of land from general commercial to highway commercial.
“When you are working with the town planning board, as well as architects and engineers, it’s a give-and-take process,” Pundt said. “As a business, you have to be sensitive to what the town wants and needs.”
Note: On September 20, 2012 at 7 p.m. the Parma Zoning Board will hold public hearings on two aspects of the project. As printed in a Town of Parma Legal Notice September 9, 2012:
•The application of 5050 Ridge Road LLC, owner, for a Special Permit to store vehicles for display and sales at 5050 Ridge Road West. Applicant is also requesting relief from Town Zoning Article 9, subsection 165-78.B.1 which states as part of the Special Permit requirements that accessory to a sales office building for the sales of vehicles, an unenclosed area may be used provided that such area is on the same or an adjacent lot to such building. If the building is on an adjacent lot, the lot shall be not more than 200 feet from the lot with the building and shall further be in the same ownership as said building. This property is located across the street from the sales office building and ownership is under a different name. This property is currently zoned Highway Commercial (HC).
•The application of 5050 Ridge Road LLC, owner, for a Special Permit to store vehicles for display and sales at 5052 Ridge Road West. Applicant is also requesting relief from Town Zoning Article 9, subsection 165-78.B.1 which states as part of the Special Permit requirements that accessory to a sales office building for the sales of vehicles, an unenclosed area may be used provided that such area is on the same or an adjacent lot to such building. If the building is on an adjacent lot, the lot shall be not more than 200 feet from the lot with the building and shall further be in the same ownership as said building. This property is located across the street from the sales office building and ownership is under a different name. This property is currently zoned Highway Commercial (HC).
