Benderson Development Co.

Borrowing a line from Lebron James, authentic barbecue chef Nick Rada has decided to “take his talents” to his hometown of Corfu, where he is set to open his own Burnin’ Barrel BBQ restaurant at noon Friday.

After spending six months as an employee of Batavia Downs Gaming, running the business of the same name, Rada (photo at left) will be focused – on a full-time basis – on building his dine-in, take-out and catering enterprise out of a cozy location at 10 Main St. in the village.

“The shop will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Friday at the beginning, and some weekends, depending upon my off-site catering schedule,” said Rada, a well-traveled chef who has carved out a niche with his Texas-style beef and Kansas City-style pork barbecue recipes.

A 1999 Pembroke Central School graduate, Rada said he will be “a one-man show” for the most part, with his wife, Fanchonya, and parents helping out during the busy times.

He said the Corfu restaurant has room for 12 people to sit and, once the weather cooperates, outdoor seating will be available.

The menu will change on a daily basis, he advised.

“Our menu for opening weekend is going to be pulled pork, our smoked St. Louis-style ribs, beef brisket and barbecue chicken,” he said, adding that sides will include potato salad, coleslaw, carrot pineapple salad, collard greens, beans and “cowboy caviar.”

Changes in Store at Batavia Downs Gaming

As far as the future of the restaurant off the gaming floor at Batavia Downs, Scott Kiedrowski, vice president of operations, today said management will reopen the space soon – shifting away from barbecue exclusively.

“With Nick looking to concentrate on his own business, we will be remodeling the kitchen and will be providing deli sandwiches, wood-fired pizza and, on occasion, pulled pork and brisket,” he said. “Our customers have been asking for subs and personal pizzas.”

Reaction to New Businesses Across the Street

When asked about Benderson Development Co.’s move to place a couple of restaurants and a coffee shop (speculation is that it is a Starbucks) across Park Road on the former Kmart parking lot, Kiedrowski said he sees it as a “positive” thing for that section of the city and town.

“We knew this was coming and we look at it not as competition but an enhancement,” he said. “The venues will bring more customers this way and hopefully some of them will come here.”

He said Batavia Downs Gaming customers will continue to be able to park at the lot.

Previously: Master chef Nick Rada back home serving authentic barbecue at Batavia Downs and (soon) Village of Corfu

Taking the lead from Chairperson Kathleen Jasinski, the Batavia Town Planning Board tonight set a public hearing for April 19 to consider a special use permit for the drive-thru lanes of Benderson Development’s proposal to place two restaurants on the parking lot of the former Kmart off Lewiston and Park roads.

“This is exciting to all of us,” Jasinski said about the Buffalo-based developer’s plan to construct a 4,000-square-foot restaurant with a drive-thru and bypass lane at one end of the parking lot and a 6,752-square-foot retail/restaurant building with a 2,000-square-foot endcap coffee shop and drive-thru at the other end.

Jasinski then turned the floor over to James Boglioli of Buffalo, an attorney for Benderson and a right-to-build director for the Northeast United States.

Boglioli said that a tenant has signed a lease for the endcap coffee shop and another business is close to signing a lease for the smaller restaurant.

He reported that Benderson plans to pave the parking lot, put in new striping for the parking spaces, improve the stormwater system and add much-needed green space to the lot.

“There will be significant improvement to the site … it will be much more attractive,” he said.

When Jasinski mentioned that “it sounds like you know who’s going in there,” Boglioli said he does know, “but if I say it, then I’ll get in trouble when I get back (home).”

He did say that the businesses will operate seven days a week (which eliminates Chick-Fil-A from the discussion), primarily during breakfast and lunch hours.

Boglioli said he foresees no issues with vehicles stacking out of the parking lot and onto either Lewiston or Park, and doesn’t expect any problems with overflow parking from Batavia Downs Gaming since there are plenty of spaces on the lot.

As far as the Kmart building which has been vacant for three years, he said Benderson is “marketing the building all over the country.”

“We’re not going to get that size retailer coming in; it will be different in the future … and will be consistent with the parking,” he said, prompting comments from planning board members that the large Kmart building could be subdivided into several businesses.

The board declared itself as the lead agency for the project and set the public hearing for April 19. Boglioli was asked to come back at that time to provide further information, such as traffic flow studies and signage needs.

In other developments, Town Building Inspector Dan Lang reported the following:

• O-At-Ka Milk Products will present its plan, also on April 19, for a 3,200-square-foot addition at its Cedar Street location.

• The Batavia Town Board on Wednesday will vote on a rezoning request to change a segment of the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park on East Main Street Road from Commercial to Industrial Park – making the entire park an IP district.

• The Town Board supports Genesee County Planning Board’s plan to eliminate smaller projects from its jurisdiction, handing them back to the local municipalities.  “We’ve been seeking autonomy for years,” Lang said.

• The trees of many solar farms in the Town of Batavia are dying off, leaving them without the proper screening as stipulated in the solar ordinance. Lang said solar companies are being contacted to correct the situation and, for the most part, are being responsive.

Previously: Planners on board with Kmart parking lot project; still no word on what businesses will occupy the space

Previously: Developer proposes retail/restaurant businesses on former Kmart property along Lewiston Road

An engineering director for the Benderson Development Co. tonight did not reveal what businesses will be coming into a two-track commercial venture on the parking lot of the former Kmart at the intersection of Lewiston and Park roads.

Speaking at the Genesee County Planning Board meeting via Zoom videoconferencing, Matthew Oates said he did not have any signed leases at this point for the proposed project that would create (1) a 4,000-square-foot restaurant with a drive-thru and bypass lane on the southwest corner and (2) a 6,752-square-foot retail/restaurant building with a 2,000-square-foot endcap coffee shop with drive-thru on the southeast corner (see drawing below).

These two businesses would be located along Lewiston Road, using existing entrances to the parking lot off Lewiston and Park. The Kmart building, itself, is not part of the venture.

“We are working with tenants,” said Oates, who was on the call along with Katherine Rowe, design engineer. “And our expectation would be that when the building construction is complete that there will be tenants occupying at least some of the space. We wouldn't be putting these up and then having them sit there vacant. I don’t have anyone I can tell you today. Unfortunately, I wish I could.”

County planners recommended approval of the site plan and special use permit for the project, taking their lead from Planning Director Felipe Oltramari, who stated that the development would pose no significant countywide or intercommunity impact.

It is required, however, that Benderson complies with Town of Batavia zoning regulations as they pertain to signage on the buildings.

Oates said the company plans to add green space “around the buildings (and) additional green islands within the parking lot as well.”

He mentioned that because more than an acre will be disturbed, his company submitted a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan.

“We do have the elevations,” he said. “We think it is an attractive building with the mixture of EIFS cornice, fabric awnings and stone treatments, as well. So, overall, we're very excited for the project to get it start going and to really start redeveloping this section of the Batavia and really, hopefully, bring an enhancement to this area.”

Oates said an additional traffic light won't be necessary since there already is one at the intersection of Lewiston and Park roads.

Planner Tom Schubmehl commended Oates for “doing a nice job controlling traffic on Lewiston,” but asked if there would be an issue of cars cutting through the parking lot from Park Road to the opposite corner.

“Are you going to do anything in the parking lot that's going to prevent people from just blasting through the parking lot from north to south?” he asked.

Oates said nothing specific was in the works, noting that with similar developments, the new businesses “eliminate someone coming in on one side and then just flying through the parking lot to get across because now there's cars in there.”

“There's cars parked there, cars coming in the other direction. So, we find the actual businesses and bringing customers in, really starts to make people follow the traffic and the striping and everything else much more than they do when it's an empty parking lot like it is out there today.”

The project now will be considered by the Town Planning Board, likely at its next meeting on Tuesday night (March 15).

Previously: Developer proposes retail/restaurant businesses on former Kmart property along Lewiston Road

Top: Architect renderings of outside of proposed buildings at Kmart parking lot. Bottom: Overhead view of the two developments off Lewiston Road.

Are they ever going to do something with the former Kmart at the corner of Lewiston and Park roads?

That is yet to be determined but the Benderson Development Co., which owns the building, is ready to place a couple of commercial ventures on another section of the 10.3-acre property at the corner of Lewiston and Park roads in the Town of Batavia.

According to a letter sent to the Town Planning Board by James Boglioli, Right-to-Build Northeast US director for the Buffalo-based real estate firm, two retail/restaurant businesses are being proposed for the site along Lewiston Road – south of the Kmart building:

• A 4,000-square-foot restaurant with a drive-thru and bypass lane to be located in the southwest corner of the property;

• A 6,752-square-foot retail/restaurant building with a 2,000-square-foot endcap coffee shop with drive-thru in the southeast corner of the property.

Contacted by telephone this morning, Boglioli declined to provide further details until Thursday night’s Genesee County Planning Board meeting, which is set for 7 o’clock and will be conducted via Zoom videoconferencing.

Furthermore, per the letter, the project also will include drainage upgrades to bring the site into compliance with the current storm water regulations, an increase in overall greenspace and landscaping, utility upgrades and new curbing, pavement and site lighting around the proposed buildings.

As far as parking is concerned, Boglioli’s letter states that the two proposed outparcel buildings will require 84 parking spaces – much less than the 366 parking spaces on the property.

Boglioli’s letter also indicates that, at this point, there are no proposed uses for the 116,238-square-foot Kmart structure – “and any reuse of (that building) is anticipated to require significantly less parking than the former K Mart required per code, and it is expected that the use would be compatible with the proposed outparcel project.”

The referral to be considered by county planners calls for the issuance of a special use permit.

The letter contends that proposed drive-thru configurations will not adversely affect the surroundings and “provide sufficient stacking within two dedicated drive thru lanes and any additional stacking that extends out of the dedicated drive thru lanes would be captured internal to the site.”

Drawing at top shows two restaurant proposals for the former Kmart property along Lewiston Road in the Town of Batavia. The Kmart building is labeled "vacant" at the top of the site map. Provided by Genesee County Planning Department.