EASTHAMPTON – Draft site plans for a second location for the River Valley Co-op, slated for the former Fedor Oldsmobile Pontiac car dealership on Route 10, will be on display at Suite 160 at the Eastworks building on Saturday.
“We are looking for useful feedback that we can put into our plans when we submit for the permitting process,” Rochelle Prunty, general manager for the co-op, said.
The co-op has secured an option to purchase the 3.17-acre property at 228 Northampton Road in Easthampton, which could bring up to 100 new jobs, the co-op said in a press release in August.
Preliminary plans call for a 11,000-square-foot retail space on the first floor, a similar size to the Northampton location. There would also be an increase in parking from the Northampton location, from 92 to 150.
The co-op would break ground by the spring of next year, with the “best case” timeline opening to be spring of 2020.
In August, River Valley said they had completed several studies in the lead up to their permit application including a market study, traffic study, and soil testing, along with hiring a project manager and raising $2 million as part of their Co-op owner loan campaign.
A special permit from the city is required and the application from the co-op is still pending, according to Easthampton City Planner Jeffrey Bagg.
Members of the co-op’s management, board of directors, and representatives from the project’s partners at Thomas Douglas Architects and The Berkshire Design Group will be available to field questions from the public from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Luis Fieldman can be reached at lfieldman@gazettenet.com