New owner outlines big plans for former Rotterdam eyesore
By Justin Mason
December 10, 2011 - ROTTERDAM - Dave Leon’s first order of business after buying the former Main Florist property last year was to topple the eyesore sign that stood sentry over West Campbell Road for more than half a century.
The dilapidated sign was the last remaining symbol of the former flower shop and was a fitting symbol for a blighted property that remained an unsightly entrance to the town for nearly a decade. Leon, the owner of Planet Fitness, said it wasn't long after he closed on the deal to purchase the property that he got a phone call from Supervisor Frank Del Gallo, who eagerly implored him to take it down.
Now plans are afoot to finally redevelop the property into a more fitting gateway for the town. Leon has proposed a project that will create an Adirondack lodge-style retail and office structure on the site that will serve as a business hub for his rapidly expanding chain of 15 gyms.
"This will be a really nice free-standing building," he said Friday.
Plans call for a 12,000-square-foot building that will feature retail spots for a gun shop, laundromat, bank and beauty salon, in addition to 3,100 square feet of office space on the second floor. A second phase of the project would construct an adjoining building that would include an additional 9,000 square feet.
The building would be connected to the town sewer line and extend the sidewalks to connect with the ones in front of the adjacent Dunkin Donuts building. Plans also include 115 parking spaces and curb cuts onto West Campbell Road.
Leon said the office space will provide training and conference space for Planet Fitness so the business can grow. He plans to open two new locations next year and expand to 25 locations within three years.
"This will be the headquarters," he said.
The three acres proposed for the project are on a sensitive area of the Great Flats Aquifer recharge zone. The plans have already been subject to both state and county review.
Members of the town Planning Commission began reviewing the project in late October. So far, Leon's plans have received a favorable response.
"It was very positively received by the town," said Town Planner Peter Comenzo.
Main Florist was established in 1950 by former GE worker Quirino "Mike" Lomini and came to be regarded as a landmark business of the town. But two years after his death in 1999, the new owners closed the shop, pointing to competition from larger garden retailers.
The property and its buildings were left to decay for six years before wrecking crews finally removed them in February 2007. But a project to redevelop the land into 3,000-square-foot retail building and an 8,700-square-foot restaurant went inactive amid the national economic downturn.
For more than a year, dumpsters filled with demolition debris remained on the property. Illegal dumpers began dropping off additional refuse around the property, adding to its shabby appearance.
The property was mostly cleaned after the town threatened to issue code violation citations to then-owner Frank Popolizio. The sign was the only element left of the old florist once the dumpsters were removed.
Leon closed on the property in February 2010. Almost immediately, the town asked him to remove the sign.
"That was the one thing everybody said: Get rid of that sign," Comenzo said.