At a public workshop regarding town zoning laws, some New Scotland residents suggested rewriting the laws altogether, while others said additional workshops were needed to come up with a viable plan.
The Commercial Zone Advisory Committee held the meeting Wednesday, Sept. 17, at Clayton A. Bouton High School in Voorheesville to discuss progress toward drafting a revision of the zoning laws, including a possible size cap on retail businesses.
I hope they preserve the rural nature of the town of New Scotland, said resident Allan Bausback. `I hope the changes [in the zoning law] reflect that.`
A temporary moratorium on new buildings larger than 30,000 square feet has been in place since May to allow the town time to address its zoning laws. The moratorium was enacted in response to a commercial development proposed by Syracuse-based Sphere that would include a 137,000-square-foot `anchor` store. It is set to expire Nov. 12.
At the workshop, the public’s comments ranged from suggestions to rezone the commercial district, to requiring a financial commitment from developers, to constructing a botanical garden on the site Sphere is hoping to develop.
Members of the advocacy group, New Scotlanders for Sound Economic Development set up a display at the high school and handed out literature supporting a size cap on commercial retail buildings of 50,000 square feet.
Resident Peter Burde said he was concerned about how the sheer amount of information gathered in the evening would be drafted to provide a meaningful and useful tool for the CZAC.
`How is it going to be brought together?` Burde asked.
He said he supports a 50,000-square-foot size cap on commercial buildings but would favor an appeals process.
Mike Welti, a senior planner at Behan Planning Associates, which facilitated the meeting, laid out some of the more complex and confusing aspects of the comprehensive plan, such as the definition of `regional draw,` and the definition and location of the `hamlet` of New Scotland.
Welti said that a size cap for commercial buildings has not been agreed upon, but discussions have included proposals of 50,000 to 60,000 square feet.
`It’s no one’s intention to handcuff [businesses],` he said.
He also discussed creating a mixed-use development, including residential, office and commercial buildings.
Attendees were asked to get into groups of 25 to 30 in classrooms at the high school to have smaller discussions about CZAC’s progress.
After some dissent from the crowd, with residents yelling from their seats asking why the group needed to be divided, the crowd dispersed to their classrooms.
During one discussion, some residents said they were unhappy that the workshop was only one night and said the discussion would be better served played out over several days, or even a week.
`This really is a sham,` said Marian Mudar of the meeting’s brevity.
Mudar also advocated for extending the moratorium on commercial development and possibly even rezoning the commercial district entirely. She recommended using the land for local agriculture instead.
Robert Stapf, New Scotland planning board chair said he is unsure what could be done with the property and is concerned with several factors limiting its development.
`There is no public water or sewer available,` he said.
Stapf said he is in favor of having developers hire independent parties to conduct environmental impact studies and a financial analysis. The results would then be turned over to the town to review.
He also said the developer needs to be financially responsible for the roads and infrastructure to go along with the development.
If the independent review and town review show the development is a bad idea, then it is up to the town to put a stop to it.
Stapf said he is in favor of developing the land, but acknowledges the restrictions, and realizes a substantial amount of money will be needed to provide the sewer and water.
`There are a lot of factors out there that are unknown,` Stapf said. `I support commercial development of that property[it] lends itself to a blend of uses.`
Stapf also added that the entire commercial zone should be addressed, not just the 200-acre lot Sphere is planning to develop.“