BJ’s Wholesale Club Could Be Coming to Sangertown Square
- edu.plus.weatherray Rome
- 2 hours ago
- 12 min read
A new warehouse club may be headed for one of New Hartford’s most visible retail properties.
BJ’s Wholesale Club has submitted plans to the Town of New Hartford for a possible new location at Sangertown Square, according to the Rome Sentinel. The proposal would bring the membership-based retailer into the former Macy’s space at the mall and could also include a gas station in the parking lot area near Seneca Turnpike.
The project is still in the review stage. Before any construction or opening date becomes a real possibility, the proposal must go through local planning and zoning review, including a public hearing.
For Sangertown Square, the plan could mark a major change for a large former department store space that has sat empty. For shoppers in New Hartford, Utica, and nearby communities, it could mean another option for bulk groceries, household items, tires, gas, and other warehouse club purchases.
BJ’s has submitted plans to the Town of New Hartford
The proposal now before the town centers on a possible BJ’s Wholesale Club location at Sangertown Square. The plans were submitted to the Town of New Hartford as the company looks at building out a new club at the shopping center.
The key part of the plan is the former Macy’s location. That space has been one of the most noticeable vacancies at Sangertown Square because of its size and its position within the mall property.
A warehouse club would be a different kind of use than a traditional department store. Instead of a store built around apparel, cosmetics, home goods, and mall foot traffic, BJ’s typically operates as a membership warehouse with large carts, bulk items, packaged foods, household supplies, electronics, tires, and seasonal merchandise.
The plan, as reported, would not only use the former department store space. It would also add a gas station in the parking lot area near Seneca Turnpike.
That gas station element is likely to be one of the details reviewed closely during the local approval process. Gas stations can raise questions about traffic patterns, entrances and exits, environmental safety, lighting, hours, signage, and how vehicles move through a shopping center parking lot.
At this point, the proposal is not an approved project. It is a plan being reviewed by town officials, and there are several steps before the company could move forward.
The first local review is scheduled for August 20
The next step is a public meeting involving the New Hartford Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 20, at 5:30 PM at Town Hall.
A public hearing is also planned for the same time, according to the information reported. That hearing gives residents and other interested parties a chance to comment on the proposal before decisions are made.
Public hearings are a standard part of many local land-use reviews. They allow the boards to hear concerns, questions, and support from people who may be affected by a project. Comments can focus on traffic, safety, land use, neighborhood impact, economic effects, or whether the proposed use fits the property.
The boards may also review technical parts of the plan. Those can include:
Site access and vehicle circulation
Parking layout and available spaces
Stormwater and drainage
Lighting
Signage
Fuel station placement
Emergency access
Delivery truck access
Landscaping and screening
Zoning requirements
Any needed variances or special approvals
The meeting does not mean the store is guaranteed. It means the proposal has reached the point where town boards can begin formal review and the public can weigh in.
A project of this size can require more than one meeting. The boards may ask for more information, request revisions, or send parts of the plan to other agencies for review. Approval could come later, or the plans could change before any final decision.
The former Macy’s space could see new use
If approved, the project would bring new activity to a major empty retail space at Sangertown Square.
Former department stores are not easy properties to reuse. They are large, often built for a different shopping era, and tied into mall layouts that may no longer match how people shop today. Across the country, mall owners and retailers have been rethinking these spaces for years.
Some former department stores have become entertainment venues, gyms, medical offices, discount stores, furniture stores, grocery stores, self-storage facilities, or mixed-use spaces. In New Hartford, the proposal would turn the former Macy’s into a warehouse club, bringing a different kind of daily and weekly shopper traffic to the property.
For Sangertown Square, that could matter. A BJ’s location would likely draw people who are coming for planned shopping trips rather than casual mall browsing. Members often visit warehouse clubs for bigger purchases, pantry restocking, paper products, household goods, and fuel.
That type of store can bring steady traffic throughout the week. It may also draw shoppers from outside New Hartford, including nearby communities in Oneida County and the wider Mohawk Valley.
The former Macy’s site gives the proposal a practical advantage. Large-format retailers need large floorplates, loading access, parking, and visibility. A former department store at a regional shopping center already has many of those features, though the building and site would still need changes to fit a BJ’s operation.
The proposed gas station would be near Seneca Turnpike
One of the most notable parts of the plan is the proposed gas station.
According to the report, the gas station would be located in the parking lot area near Seneca Turnpike. That location could make it convenient for shoppers entering or leaving the property, but it also adds another layer to the review process.
Gas stations connected to warehouse clubs are common. They are often used as a membership benefit and can become a frequent stop for drivers who may not be shopping inside the store that day. That means traffic patterns can differ from a typical retail parking lot.
Town officials will likely look at how cars would enter and exit the fuel area, how waiting lines would be handled, and whether vehicles could affect traffic on nearby roads or inside the shopping center.
Seneca Turnpike is already a well-known commercial corridor in New Hartford. It connects shoppers to Sangertown Square, nearby plazas, restaurants, and other retail areas. Any new fuel station near that corridor would need to be reviewed for how it fits into existing traffic flow.
The boards may also consider lighting, safety barriers, stormwater controls, and environmental protections related to fuel storage. Those reviews are common for this type of use and can involve engineering plans and agency input.
No specific construction timeline has been announced in the provided report. Since the project is still at the local review stage, any opening date would depend on approvals, permits, construction planning, and work at the site.
The North Utica BJ’s question remains unanswered
A major unknown is what the proposal would mean for the existing BJ’s Wholesale Club in North Utica.
No decision has been announced in the report about whether the current North Utica location would remain open if the New Hartford proposal moves forward. It is not clear whether both locations could operate in the area or whether the proposed Sangertown Square store would replace the existing club.
That question will be closely watched because North Utica already serves many local BJ’s members. A Sangertown Square location would shift the club closer to New Hartford’s retail core and closer to a number of nearby shopping destinations.
For some shoppers, New Hartford may be more convenient. For others, especially those closer to Utica, Marcy, Deerfield, or Rome, the North Utica location may remain easier to reach.
At this stage, there is not enough public information to say what BJ’s long-term plan is for the local market. The company’s submission to the town shows interest in the Sangertown Square site, but it does not answer every question about future operations.
Until BJ’s or town documents provide more detail, the North Utica store’s future remains an open issue.
The proposal comes as malls keep changing
The plan reflects a larger shift happening at malls and shopping centers across the country.
Traditional malls were built around department stores. For decades, anchors like Macy’s, Sears, JCPenney, Bon-Ton, and other large retailers helped drive foot traffic. As shopping habits changed, many of those anchors closed stores or reduced their physical footprint.
That left mall owners with large vacancies and a need to find new uses. The strongest replacements are often businesses that give people a specific reason to visit. Grocery stores, fitness centers, entertainment venues, medical offices, discount retailers, and warehouse stores can all play that role.
A warehouse club would not function like a traditional mall anchor. Many shoppers may park near the store, load their vehicles, and leave without walking through the rest of the mall. Still, a busy anchor can bring visibility and traffic back to a property.
For surrounding businesses, more daily traffic can help. Restaurants, small retailers, service shops, and nearby plazas may benefit when more drivers are already in the area. At the same time, increased traffic and construction can create short-term disruptions if a project moves forward.
Sangertown Square remains one of the most recognizable retail properties in the New Hartford area. Any major change there tends to draw attention because the mall sits at the center of a broader shopping district used by people across the region.
A BJ’s proposal at the former Macy’s space would be one of the more significant reuse plans tied to the property in recent years.
What local boards will likely consider
The Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals have different roles, but both can be important in a project like this.
A planning board usually focuses on the site plan. That means how the proposed use fits on the property, how vehicles and pedestrians move, where parking goes, how deliveries work, how stormwater is handled, and whether the project meets local planning standards.
A zoning board often deals with requests for variances or interpretations of zoning rules. If a project needs permission to do something not automatically allowed under the zoning code, the Zoning Board of Appeals may need to review it.
The exact approvals needed depend on the details of the application. The public meeting will help clarify what the applicant is asking for and what the boards must decide.
For a warehouse club and gas station, likely topics include access, safety, parking, traffic, and compatibility with the shopping center. Since the proposal involves an existing mall property, officials may also consider how the new use would connect with the rest of Sangertown Square.
The review process may include questions such as:
Can the site handle the expected number of vehicles?
Will entrances and exits work safely?
How will fuel station traffic be separated from regular shopping traffic?
Where will delivery trucks go?
Will the project affect nearby roads?
Are lighting and signage appropriate?
Does the plan meet zoning rules?
Are any variances needed?
Are there environmental issues tied to the gas station?
How will construction affect the property?
These questions do not mean the project faces unusual problems. They are the kind of issues local boards are expected to examine before approving a large retail development.
Public comment is part of the process
The public hearing gives residents a formal way to respond to the proposal.
People who support the project may point to the reuse of a vacant space, the convenience of a New Hartford warehouse club, and the potential for more activity at Sangertown Square. They may also see the project as a sign of investment in a property that has faced the same pressures as many malls.
People with concerns may focus on traffic, gas station safety, noise, lighting, or the impact on nearby roads. Others may want more information about the future of the North Utica BJ’s, the construction timeline, or how the project would affect the rest of the mall.
Public comments do not automatically decide whether a project is approved. Still, they become part of the record, and boards can use them to ask more detailed questions or request plan changes.
For residents who want to be heard, the meeting at Town Hall is the first formal opportunity listed in the report. Written comments may also be accepted in many municipal processes, though the specific rules depend on the town’s procedures.
Anyone planning to comment is usually most effective when they focuses on the project itself. Specific questions about traffic, access, lighting, fuel station layout, walking routes, emergency access, and hours of operation are more useful than general statements.
No opening date has been announced
Because the New Hartford proposal is still in the approval process, there is no confirmed opening date for the possible BJ’s Wholesale Club at Sangertown Square.
Large retail projects can move through several phases after initial board review. Even if a proposal wins approval, the applicant may still need building permits, final engineering review, construction contracts, utility work, inspections, and interior buildout.
The former Macy’s space would likely need significant changes to become a warehouse club. While the outside of the building may already be large enough for big-box retail, the inside would need to be adapted for BJ’s layout, storage, refrigeration, checkout areas, member services, and other operational needs.
The gas station would involve separate site work. Fuel pumps, canopies, underground storage, safety systems, and traffic lanes all require careful design and permitting.
That means an approval, if granted, would not necessarily lead to an immediate opening. A project of this size can take time, especially when it involves both a large retail conversion and a fuel station.
For now, the important date is the public review on August 20.
What the project could mean for Sangertown Square
If approved and built, the BJ’s project could change how people use Sangertown Square.
A warehouse club brings planned shopping trips. Customers often arrive with a list, shop for bulk items, and leave with full carts. That is different from a traditional mall visit, where shoppers may browse several stores, stop for food, and move through interior corridors.
This kind of anchor can still help a shopping center by increasing property activity. More cars in the lot can make a mall feel less empty. A well-used anchor can also make the property more attractive to other tenants.
The effect on interior mall stores is harder to predict. Some BJ’s shoppers may also visit other stores at Sangertown Square. Others may use the warehouse club and gas station without entering the mall. The final impact would depend on store entrances, parking layout, signage, and how the property is connected.
The proposal could also influence how the mall positions itself in the future. Instead of relying only on traditional mall retail, Sangertown Square could continue shifting toward a mix of large-format stores, services, and destination businesses.
That shift is already common in many retail corridors. The line between a mall, a power center, and a mixed-use shopping property has become less clear. A building that once held a department store may now be better suited for a retailer that draws customers for everyday needs.
For New Hartford, the proposal is also about land use. The former Macy’s space already exists, the parking lot already exists, and the site is already part of a commercial district. Reusing that space could be different from building on undeveloped land. Town review will determine whether the specific plan works for the property.
What details are still missing
Several major details have not been publicly confirmed in the reported information.
No final opening date has been announced. No final approval has been granted. No public decision has been reported about the North Utica BJ’s. The full scope of construction, the number of jobs, the size of the store, and the final design details have not been stated in the provided report.
Those details may become clearer as the application moves through town review. Site plans, board discussions, public hearing comments, and applicant responses often fill in the gaps over time.
For now, the confirmed pieces are limited but significant:
Detail | Current status |
Proposed retailer | BJ’s Wholesale Club |
Proposed location | Former Macy’s space at Sangertown Square |
Municipality | Town of New Hartford |
Added feature | Gas station near Seneca Turnpike parking lot area |
Review step | Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals meeting |
Public hearing | Scheduled for the same meeting time |
Meeting time | Thursday, August 20, at 5:30 PM |
North Utica BJ’s future | Not yet announced |
The most important point is that this is a proposal, not a completed deal.
Projects can change during review. Boards can request adjustments. Applicants can revise plans. Public questions can lead to additional studies or conditions. In some cases, projects move forward quickly. In others, the review takes more time.
The next move happens at Town Hall
The proposed BJ’s Wholesale Club at Sangertown Square is now a local land-use issue, and the first key step is the August 20 meeting at Town Hall.
That meeting will bring the plan before the New Hartford Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals, with a public hearing scheduled at the same time. It should provide more information about how the former Macy’s space could be converted, how the gas station would fit near Seneca Turnpike, and what questions town officials want answered before any approval.
For now, the project represents a possible new chapter for Sangertown Square and a significant retail change for New Hartford. The former Macy’s space could become active again, BJ’s could expand or shift its local presence, and the mall property could take on a new role in the area’s shopping routine.
The proposal still has to clear the public process first. Until that happens, shoppers will have to wait before making room in the trunk for bulk paper towels, snacks, and the oversized pack of laundry detergent that always seems practical at the time.
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