The Phantom Gardener on Route 9 in Rhinebeck plans a significant expansion that includes a new, larger showroom and a new greenhouse.
The Phantom Gardener on Route 9 in Rhinebeck has announced plans for an expansion. (Photo by Eloise Goldsmith)
One of the co-owners of the organic garden center and landscaping business, Tony Capalbo, appeared before the Rhinebeck Town Planning Board on Tuesday to describe the proposal. The Planning Board scheduled a public hearing for Aug. 17, when members of the public will have the chance to weigh in on the project.
Capalbo said he’s both nervous and excited. “It’s going to be a big undertaking, [but] it’s gotten to a point where we’ve outgrown what is here,” he told The Daily Catch.
Capalbo owns the business with David Campolong and James Himelright IV. Capalbo lives in Rhinebeck, Campolong lives in Red Hook, and Himelright lives in Germantown. The three purchased the Phantom Gardener from the previous owner 12 years ago.
Tony Capalbo, right, owns the business with James Himelright IV, left, and David Campolong (not pictured). (Photo by Eloise Goldsmith)
The current layout of the facility includes a small, single story indoor plant showroom and check-out area attached to a two-story office building. The showroom features plants, dried seeds, gardening supplies, and a refrigerator with cut fresh flowers. To the south of those structures is a long gravel yard where annuals and perennials greet customers as they arrive into the business’s gravel driveway. At the back of the property is an old greenhouse where herbs and vegetable plants are currently stored.
According to Capablo, the fact that the cash register in the showroom is far from the entrance creates congestion because customers must carry plants and items to the far corner of the small space to check out.
“People get aggravated because they’re standing in line and then they get stuck,” he said. “It gets really tight and congested down there.”
The owners plan to build a new showroom and greenhouse, among other changes. (Image courtesy of Dutchess County Parcel Access)
The owners are proposing to tear down the current indoor plant showroom and construct a 60-foot long new one on the west side of the two-story office building. The new showroom would be roughly 50% larger than the current facility, according to Capablo. The area where the showroom currently stands would be turned into an additional area for outdoor plants.
To the west of the new showroom, the team plans a new greenhouse. The Phantom Gardener’s current greenhouse is oriented north-south. Under the proposal, the greenhouse would be attached to the showroom and flipped so it runs east-west. The owners also plan to build a new covered, outdoor storage area to the west of the new showroom.
Capalbo told the Planning Board that the new greenhouse will be made of glass with aluminum framing. Sections of the greenhouse that are less visible might have plastic polycarbonate panels, a material that is less expensive than glass, he said.
The current showroom has a check out counter that sits at the opposite corner from the entrance. The space is sometimes congested. (Photo by Eloise Goldsmith)
According to the project plans, the Phantom Gardner’s entrance will also be upgraded. The project’s engineer, Mark Graminski, told the Planning Board that the New York State Department of Transportation is going to require that the business install concrete curbing at the entrance of the property off Route 9 to replace the gravel.
Capalbo told The Daily Catch that adding a curb to the entrance would cost roughly $60,000 per driveway, so the business may drop down to a single, wide entrance instead of two entrances. “It would be cheaper for us to just have one,” he said.
Assuming the project secures Planning Board approval, Capalbo said that the owners hope to time the construction of the new showroom and greenhouse to the business’ slower winter season, when it is only open three days a week. Given the timeline of securing approvals, the work will likely start next year, in late fall 2027, instead of this coming fall. Capalbo said that since the existing showroom will remain open while construction on the new one is underway, he hopes that there will be minimal customer disruption.
According to Graminski, the project will need at least one variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals. The business is in the Community Business South district, which allows for a maximum of 55% lot coverage. The project proposes 57.2% lot coverage, which includes all buildings and paved surfaces, said Graminski.
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