Residents of Ballston had another chance to bring their concerns about the proposed Ballston Lake Overlay District to the Ballston Town Board at a Tuesday, June 24, public hearing.
Though town officials said that some of the arguments raised had already been addressed in previous meetings, by the end of the hearing it was clear that at the very least some revisions would need to be made to the map itself before the law can be enacted.
The Ballston Lake Overlay District (BLOD) is a legislative effort to prevent the pollution of Ballston Lake. It has its roots in a 2001 Capital District Regional Planning Commission study, which outlined the need for protecting the lake.
Some residents said they were not aware of where the BLOD came from, and Town Supervisor Patti Southworth promised to put the link to the study on the town’s Web site. The study currently can be found at www.cdrpc.org/WaterQuality.html.
The Ballston Lake watershed includes all land whose water runoff would flow into the lake. The BLOD has been presented as legislation to bolster the protection of the lake, in part by creating density bonuses for developers who build with public water and sewer in the area. In many instances, it would bolster already existing state, federal or town regulations regarding environmental protection.
Some residents who spoke said they felt their properties should not be included in the watershed district in the first place. That was the case with Peter Farrell, whose Burnt Hills Veterinary Hospital on Goode Street would fall into the overlay district.
At first I thought, ‘that’s a good idea, let’s protect the lake,’ said Farrell. When he found that his property was included in the district, however, he took a walk to see where water on his property went. He said it was clear runoff traveled away from the lake.
The town has contracted C.T. Male Associates to work on the project, and Civil Engineer Kathryn Serra was present to help with technical matters Tuesday night.
Serra explained that the boundaries for the BLOD were drawn from topographical satellite maps, obtained from the state for free. Such maps would not take man-made diversions like culverts into consideration, she said, meaning the boundary might not be completely accurate.
Serra said one way to get the district line just right would be to walk the entire boundary, but she said that it would cost thousands of dollars to have a company like C.T. Male do that kind of survey. Instead, the town is looking to residents like Farrell to come forth with their objections so they can be studied.
`Before we vote on this matter I want to be as certain as we can be that we’ve got this line right,` said Councilwoman Mary Beth Hynes. `My position is that if it doesn’t drain into Ballston Lake it shouldn’t be included.`
Southworth said any residents who think an area should be removed from the BLOD for this reason should contact a member of the town board.
Others at the meeting said they felt the proposed legislation should be thrown out altogether. `You’ll never keep everything out of the lake,` said Mark Katz, who owns local operation Katz Excavating. `Now you’re making developers pay for it.` He also questioned if more houses are really what Ballston needs, citing rising property taxes. `You need businesses here to help with the taxes, not homes,` he said.
Others questioned whether the BLOD would be effective without similar measures from the neighboring town of Clifton Park, which shares Ballston Lake. Frank Shipp, vice president of the Ballston Lake Improvement Association, said his group has been in negations with Clifton Park.
A number of other residents, including Katz, suggested that the BLOD be put to a public referendum in the upcoming November election.
The Town Board said it would take the suggestions of residents into consideration during future meetings. Interested residents can check the town Web site, www.townofballstonny.nycap.rr.com, or Town Hall for posted agendas.
Residents who could not attend the public hearing may still submit written comments by e-mail or letter to the Town Hall through July 12, when the public comment period will end.“