Vacant Woodstock bank building next to 8-acre parcel along Route 47 may get redeveloped

An expansion of the BP gas station on Route 47 near Country Club Road in Woodstock may be in the works, along with the possible demolition or redevelopment of the vacant former bank building to its south.

Some of the empty 8 acres of land between the bank and gas station could also see construction as part of an effort to bring business to the thoroughfare’s stretch south of downtown, which is set to see the roadway expanded in coming years as part of a $57 million state project.

So far, Graham Enterprises, the owner of the BP and the adjacent bank property and unused field, has met with city staff and proposed an extension of the refueling business, with an emphasis on diesel sales, the city’s Economic Development Director Garrett Anderson said.

Woodstock City Council member Wendy Piersall asked if the business may be a truck stop, which Anderson explained is a term defined in a particular way by the city’s zoning ordinance that the plans currently pitched for the property might not meet.

But Piersall was interested to know whether liquor sales or video gaming components are associated with the area’s potential transformation. Mayor Mike Turner said he has talked with the possible developer, Graham Enterprises, about the prospects of liquor licensing approval from the City Council.

According to Woodstock’s city website, a moratorium is in place on applications for liquor licenses. A waiver of the moratorium may be issued by the council based upon the type of establishment and license requested.

“I’m not guaranteeing anything for anybody,” Turner said.

No formal development plan have been submitted to the city, however, and the uses discussed so far with the city could change before the project’s later stages.

“The developer has met with staff and provided a layout of the 8.75 acres, which includes primarily an expansion of the existing gas station. Other uses on the site layout are placeholders at this point, until more work is done to evaluate the site, investigate potential remediation concerns, and market the site to additional users,” city staff wrote to elected officials.

A Graham representative declined to speak publicly about the plans for the property, which still is being marketed.

City officials last week agreed to allow Graham to begin tracking expenses associated with the redevelopment for possible future reimbursement through Woodstock’s tax increment financing district program. That gives the local government an option to dedicate property tax revenues generated within the district’s boundaries to improvements within that area to help foster economic progress and job creation.

“That corner could use some development and improvement,” Turner said. “It would be positive for the city of Woodstock potentially if it looked better and delivered better service and better features.”