Crosby’s looks to add parking where house demolished in Albion

Photo by Marsha Rivers: This photo on March 6 shows the rubble from a house that was knocked down next to the Crosby’s convenience store and gas station at the corner of routes 98 and 31.

ALBION – Crosby’s is looking to add more parking at the site where a house was demolished last month next to the Crosby’s at the corner of routes 98 and 31.

Reid Petroleum, owner of Crosby’s, took down the house at 210 South Main St. It is a former doctor’s office.

Reid is asking the village to rezone the property from residential-commercial to general commercial to match the zoning at the Crosby’s store.

John Pastore, director of Real Estate at Reid Petroleum, met with the Albion Village Board on Wednesday to share the plans for the property. Reid wants to add 10 more parking spaces to the now vacant land. The company also wants to have two new 20,000-gallon underground storage tanks, with those tanks partly on the lot next to Crosby’s.

Pastore said the company would like to add four electric charging stations for vehicles in the future, and they would likely be the faster-charging level 3 units.

The plan for the now vacant land also includes an outdoor sitting area, expanded dumpster coral, 6-foot high fencing and landscaping.

Pastore said the land acquisition gives Crosby’s a chance for better traffic circulation at the Albion store, which he said is one of the company’s best-performing sites.

Reid is currently renovating the other Crosby’s in Albion, the former Yellow Goose store at the corner of Orchard Street and North Main Street. Crosby’s also has a store in nearby Gaines.

The zoning change will go to the Village Planning Board and Orleans County Planning Board for their review and recommendation before the Village Board makes a final decision.

Village Attorney John Gavenda said he was concerned the demolition of the house, just south of Crosby’s, may put pressure to remove more houses in the future. He said corporations have taken down some of Albion’s nicest homes on Main Street. He doesn’t want to see more knocked down on South Main.

Pastore said Crosby’s would like to update the Albion store at 204 South Main St., but there are no plans to expand the site.

The board said it didn’t anticipate the zoning change being an issue because it isn’t spot zoning to make the residential-commercial site be general commercial because the neighboring Crosby’s store already is classified as GC.

Two of the Village Board members noted Crosby’s is a big part of the Albion community with three stores in the 14411 zip code, but the company rebuffs requests to help support local causes. Village trustees Greg Bennett and Tim McMurray are both long-time coaches and advocates in local youth sports.

Bennett said Crosby’s could be an even bigger part of the community if it contributed to youth sports, the Rock the Park concerts or the park program.

Pastore said Crosby’s does make monetary donations and does pizza giveaways when it opens a new store or completes a renovation.