Grocery, new fast-food restaurant advance in hearings

MILLERTON — The Town of North East Planning Board held two public hearings on Wednesday, March 12, to air plans for a new grocery market and a healthy fast-food restaurant, both in the Boulevard District.

Kim and Chris Choe, owners of the Sharon Farm Market, are developing a supermarket in an existing site in the Millerton Square Plaza which will offer meat and produce, a deli, bakery and outside dining.

Ray Nelson, of Earthwise Architecture in Millerton, represented the Choes.

Austin Cornell, a principal of the proposed Tallow restaurant slated to be located in the former McDonald’s site, fielded questions from Planning Board members on matters related to the facility’s septic system, its signage, entrance way and lighting arrangements.

Board member Leslie Farhangi noted that the comments received from the Dutchess County Planning and Development Department were “good.”

Cornell answered a question about plans for tree plantings.

Dale Culver, chair, requested that Cornell provide the Board with a copy of the site plan that reflects all lighting specified in the discussions with the Board, which then closed the hearing.

Culver informed Cornell that the Board would anticipate approval at its next meeting, which was scheduled for March 26.

A public hearing followed on the grocery store plan, and Nelson enumerated the features planned for the Town Gourmet Market, including a cafe out front, a greenhouse, a reduced parking lot for 85 vehicles and with an EV charger, along with changes to the facade of the building and added green space.

“The facility will be ‘dark-sky’ compliant,” Nelson said.

After some discussion prompted by a member of the public about sidewalk access and tree plantings, which didn’t seem to raise objections, the Board voted to keep the public hearing open until its next meeting, pending a report from the County Department of Health.