It's hard to say when Bed, Bath & Beyond will reopen in Batavia, but it will be awhile, the town's building inspector told the Town of Batavia Planning Board on Tuesday night.
It's not as simple as it might seem after a fire in a commercial structure to get the store ready for customers again, said Dan Lang.
"It's a full revamp of the store," Lang said. "It's not a quick process. It will be roughly the same layout, but there's a lot of components that go into a structure to make it safe and sound again that they have to look at when there's been a fire."
All of the electrical has to be inspected and possibly replaced. The fire walls need to be replaced. The duct work must be examined and possibly replaced. The fire suppression system may need to be replaced. And, of course, all new fixtures and shelving must be installed.
The store was heavily damaged by smoke, fire and water in January. It's been closed since.
Lang said contractors are on the job trying to get the store ready to reopen, it's just a long process. He said Batavia Town Center's owners, COR Development, have been cooperative and easy to work with throughout the process.
It's also a learning experience, Lang said, because a commercial structure fire isn't something the town has had to deal with in more than 20 years.
"Things are moving, but they're going to move slow," Lang said.
