Village of Colonie officials and advisory committee members sat down Tuesday, Jan. 23, with business owners along the Central Avenue corridor to field remarks about design proposals aimed at upgrading the portion of Central Avenue that dissects the village.
The public comment period on the proposed guidelines, which are outlined in a 25-page document, will remain open until Feb. 21.
Synthesis, the Schenectady-based urban planners and architects who developed the guidelines, hosted the presentation.
Officials said they had hoped the turnout would have been better — only a handful of businesses showed up — but are confident the guidelines will do well to serve the future appearance of the corridor without hitting the pockets of its businesses.
This is something looking forward, it’s not retroactive. Some (business people) were fearful of that, said village trustee Tom Tobin, who sits on the guideline study advisory committee. `We just want to keep looking forward. When I look back over the last 20 years and look at Central Avenue now and then, there has been steady improvement.`
The guidelines would continue to facilitate those improvements, he said, by promoting better signage, pedestrian access to the busy thoroughfare, and pushing for design standards to guide future development.
At last week’s meeting Tobin, fellow trustees and members of the committee assured area businesses that the plan looks to the future and will `grandfather in` existing establishments. That is until they seek to update landscaping, parking, sidewalks, lighting and various other improvements, he said.
According to the document’s introduction, the changes will be gradual — one property at a time.
The point of the plan is to look 20 years into the future of the corridor so, after time, builders and developers come under a common theme, said Ronald Laberge, of Laberge Engineering and Consulting Group off of Wolf Road.
Laberge serves as the village’s engineer and sits on the advisory committee.
`The plan is to try to get somewhat of a quality look to the avenue so it’s a comfortable atmosphere as you drive down the corridor,` he said. `It is obviously a long-range planning tool.`
Krause’s Homemade Candy, located on Central Avenue, was held up as an example of what village planners hope the guidelines will accomplish in terms of a business’s appearance.
Ann Krause, wife of owner Tom Krause, sat on the advisory committee.
After moving to the current location in the late 1990’s Krause’s has undergone renovations and improvements that include having store parking in the rear and landscaping that faces Central Avenue.
The village worked hand in hand with the Capital District Transportation Committee, which, along with the state Department of Transportation, has taken particular interest in the Central Avenue corridor and the new guidelines. A representative of each organization sits on the advisory committee.
Copies of the guidelines can be found at Village Hall or online at colonievillage.org. Village trustees will vote whether to enact the guidelines at the close of the public comment period in which case they will go into effect.
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