By ALLISSA KLINE
akline@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1612

A regional bank headquartered near Syracuse plans to open its third branch in Erie County next spring.

Community Bank N.A. intends to purchase the property at 5 Clark St. in Orchard Park and convert the building into a banking center that offers retail, commercial and wealth management services, a bank official said last week. The new branch could be open as soon as April 1.

"We've been working on plans for a couple of years," said Richard Heidrick, the bank's senior vice president in charge of facilities. "We're pretty close to being able to rock and roll with this, so we're excited about it."

A purchase agreement between the bank and longtime property owners Jim and Jackie Ennis, who operate Continental Paper and Plastic Corp. at the site, has been reached. Heidrick declined to give transaction details until the bank's board of trustees reviews, and presumably approves, the agreement during its July 20 meeting.

Continental, meanwhile, will relocate to another site in Orchard Park, according to MBA Consulting & Appraisal Co., the real estate consultant for the deal.

The bank, based in the Syracuse suburb of Dewitt, operates branches in Springville and North Collins, as well as several branches in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties. In addition to Central New York, its market includes northern New York and Pennsylvania.

The move to Orchard Park is "a natural progression" for Community Bank, even though several banks already operate there, Heidrick said.

"Orchard Park is a very progressive market with a strong asset base, and we like it," he said. "There's a lot of competition and we recognize that ... but we think our business model will fit nicely."

The bank is currently building a new branch in Palmyra, south of Rochester, as well as in Montrose, Pa, Heidrick said. It will construct a new branch in Dewitt sometime in 2011, he said.

The planned addition to the Orchard Park site will provide about 4,000 square feet of space for five or six bank employees, he said. Standard drive-up service lanes and an ATM lane will be included.