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The last hurdle

Planning board sends Athenex site plan to town

OBSERVER Photo by Jimmy McCarthy Rich Nassar, vice president of operations for Athenex, says the project is still on track for a mid-2020 completion date during Wednesday’s Dunkirk Town Planning Board meeting at Jamestown Community College’s North County Campus.

Site plans for Athenex are heading to the Dunkirk Town Board — the last hurdle before work begins.

The town’s planning board recommended approval of the biopharmaceutical company’s site plan to the town with a few conditions during a Wednesday meeting. Securing entrance and utility permits from the state, health approvals from the state and county and updates to landscaping to boost privacy for homeowners on the north side of the project on Route 5 were among the items board members listed.

With the planning board’s review and recommendation complete, town board members will convene March 1 to give final approval. Athenex would then be allowed to begin work at its Lake Shore Drive East site.

Rich Nassar, vice president of operations for Athenex, told attendees at Jamestown Community College’s North County Campus the site plan is the last piece of the puzzle as grading could begin in mid-March. Nassar said the goal is to have the facility weather tight by the end of 2018.

Internal work would commence in 2019. Production is anticipated for mid-2020.

“Are there things that can change it, yeah there are,” Nassar said. “Weather can all of a sudden turn bad and we can be delayed. There could be issues with trying to get steel and trying to get concrete. The list goes on and on, but we’re staying aggressive at it.”

Nassar said he’s stayed close with Town Supervisor Richard Purol and town officials since last year to keep them apprised of the latest developments.

Planning Board Chairman Jay Warren said they started meeting with Athenex last April. The planning board is tasked with reviewing development in the town that may influence quality of life for town residents. The board also assures plans conform to the region’s comprehensive plan.

With help from Robert Hutteman, engineer with LiRo Group who the town hired, the board ensured requirements were met and concerns addressed. Hutteman acknowledged minor concerns with the plan were addressed.

“Due to the size of the project, he was hired to review plans and consult with the town to make sure we dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s,” Warren said.

Warren noted that the town’s Zoning Board earlier in the month approved a height variance and a parking landscape variance, which would keep islands out of the lot.

In November, site plans and a state environmental quality assessment were in the hands of planning board members for review. Since then, changes were made in the way the facility will connect to city water. As for sanitary sewer, Zach Anderson, engineer with Clark Patterson Lee, said gravity flows will be achieved.

The town’s fire department issued a letter to the board stating its concern over no standpipe system within Athenex’s plans. Anderson said the firm’s design team would look into it.

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