Members of the Niskayuna Town Board discussed their options for the Ingersoll property at its meeting Tuesday, Feb. 27.
Highland Development LLC has proposed a strip mall for the property, which is directly across the street from an existing mall, Mohawk Commons. The 12.5-acre parcel, most of which is currently vacant green space, has long been properly zoned for retail development.
Under the proposal submitted by developers, a portion of the historic Ingersoll Home would be torn down but the original structure would be kept intact. Much of the current lot would then be turned into retail space and parking to accommodate customer needs. The dozens of senior citizens who currently live in the home would be relocated to a structure now being built on Consaul Road. Before the new stores can be built, the town board must support the project by approving a special use permit for it. Developers can’t proceed without the permit.
Among the options reviewed on Tuesday were a moratorium, or a positive or negative declaration under the State Environmental Quality Review Act. A positive declaration essentially states that the project will affect the environment; a negative one says it won’t.
A negative declaration would push the project forward. A positive one would halt it for further study by requiring the developer to prepare an environmental impact statement. A moratorium could still be considered regardless of a decision under SEQR.
The board is expected to vote on either a positive or negative declaration at its meeting Tuesday, March 13.
Superintendent Luke Smith said he will put together a resolution for a negative declaration, and board member Liz Kasper said she intends to put together a resolution for a positive declaration.
Championing the argument for a moratorium was board member Bill Chapman, who would like the town to study and try to preserve historic sites within the community. Chapman would like to see the Ingersoll site deemed a historic site.
The town board has been listening to comments and concerns from residents for months, and all agree that some decision needs to be made for the developer and for the residents.
We need to get an answer for the developer, yes, but we need to get an answer for everyone. Either with the study or without we need to move forward, board member Diane O’Donnell said.
The board heard about an hour of comments from residents.
Elaine Willi, a Schenectady resident, said, `Listen to the majority of your town. The people who voted for you, who you represent. They are the taxpayers. I hope you are not playing your own Monopoly game with their tax dollars.`
Lou Leece, the attorney for Highbridge Developments and a Niskayuna resident, said his client is going to buy the Ingersoll land regardless of what the town decides. Leece said once his client owns the land, he could demolish the house if he wished. Leece said his client has been working with the town and trying to accommodate the wishes of residents, by keeping the Ingersoll Home and possibly turning it into a restaurant.
The fate of the house is a concern to some members of the board, but Town Attorney Eric Dickson said a demolition permit shouldn’t be granted while the property is still being reviewed under the SEQR process.
The planning board and the conservation advisory council have already given this project a positive declaration under SEQR.
`The Conservation Advisory Council did an excellent job raising significant issues with this project, but I believe the developer has acted responsibly and provided many reams of paper in response to that,` Smith said.
Board members Maria Freund and O’Donnell only asked questions for clarification purposes.
Dickson said if the board decides to give this project a negative declaration, it needs to have specific reasons to do so, and if the board decides to vote for a positive declaration, it doesn’t need a specific reason.
The board plans to vote on this issue Tuesday, March 13. The meeting might be at one of the schools to accommodate more people.“