During the Town of Bethlehem’s Planning Board meeting on Tuesday, June 17, the McCormick’s Hollow Subdivision plan for a multi-use pathway was accepted by the board, at which time Chairman Parker Mathusa stressed that there is an interest on the planning board to have this done.
The multi-use pathway would help clear up construction that has been left unfinished for more than a year on North Street when construction on a proposed subdivision was abruptly halted.
Surveyor Paul Hite, who presented the revised plan, outlined the details of the multi-use path and the addition of 5-foot islands in the middle of the sidewalk with trees and benches for landscaping. Mathusa outlined a potential schedule where work on the walkway would be started by Aug. 1 and finished by Oct. 1. The board unanimously approved the document.
A second subdivision proposal presented by Edward Kleinke re-introduced the Hudson Glen Subdivision project, which was last put before the board in September 2006. The plan would cover three lots on Hudson Avenue and one on Albright Place off of a 35-acre parent parcel that was originally set to be used for an older development known as the `Lakes of Delmar,` where the area would have been flooded and townhouses would surround the man-made lakes.
In the new proposal, the lots have small and compact build areas for houses because of issues regarding slope stability, drainage and the impact on the surrounding area. The two sites on Hudson Avenue are 1.8 acres each and the site on Albright Place is close to 2 acres. The other 30 acres will be retained by the owner and have no development plans because of the lay of the land, which includes steep slopes and a significant ravine through the middle of the property.
The Planning Board proposed a T turnaround for town vehicles to gain access on the site on Albright while also creating a driveway for the lot.
Planning Board member Nicholas Berhuniak wanted to know what type of grading for the houses would be involved and if fill would have to be brought in from an outside source and what kind of disturbance to the existing land the building would create.
Kleinke said he did not anticipate a large amount of fill from outside sources, stating that the ground that would be excavated for basements would make up the majority of fill for the area. Kleinke went on to say that the sites were not located on flooding lanes.
The Planning Board voted to send the plans to the Albany Country Planning Board for review. The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, July 15, at 7 p.m.“