Town officials heard proposed modifications to the Glass Works Village development that addressed roadway safety and the environmental review process at the Tuesday, Oct. 21, Guilderland Town Board meeting.
Attorney Jim Schultz who represented Glass Works Village, said it will include 310 residential units and 195,000 square feet retail and non-retail professional.
Schultz said the developer has made some changes in the recommendation regarding the roads and right-of-way at certain points.
There has been much discussion regarding access to the village from Route 20.
Robert Ganz, a member of the Guilderland Library board of trustees, said he had some concerns with a proposed road extending behind the library connecting it to the village.
He said it is imperative to find the best long-term solutions to traffic concerns related to the road.
It is detrimental to children in the library during story time, Ganz said of the proposed road.
Ganz said the environmental impact of the road has not been adequately studied.
He said it was left out of the final version of the State Environmental Quality Review, claiming that the ruling made by the town does not account for a road.
Town Supervisor Ken Runion said the road was initially discussed in early environmental impact studies and the impact was deemed marginal.
`All the elements of the road were discussed in the draft environmental impact,` Runion said.
Schultz said the roadway was included in the draft environmental impact study, but was removed from the supplemental one, and said the study found no impact from the roadway.
Ganz retorted that the process has `run amok,` and he is concerned with the `noise and traffic` the road will generate.
Ganz said the library has been, and will continue to be, cooperative in finding a solution.
`We do not want to be at odds with the governing bodies in the town,` Ganz added.
Another possible solution to the traffic and safety concerns would be to improve the quality of Mercycare Lane in order to handle the increased traffic. Runion said the library should play a part in funding efforts to improve the roadway.
`I’m giving you the chance to step up to the plate,` Runion said.
Others who spoke at the meeting shared their thoughts about the potential development.
Joe Bryant, a resident of the town, said the thousands of people and cars the development will bring are not needed.
Bryant said, `It brings nothing to Guilderland that it doesn’t already have,` and he later called it a `monstrosity.`
Alice Begley, the Guilderland town historian, said she supports the development, and one day hopes to live there.
`I hope one day to be able to walk to my favorite library,` she said.
Jan Weston, the town planner, said that developing the land has been a longtime intention of the planning board.
`This is some of the best planning the town has ever done,` she said.
She also said she supports a separate connector road behind the library.
The library has discussed plans to expand eastward, however, Ganz said, those plans have been put on hold for at least six months as a result of the slumping economy.
Runion said the matter will be discussed again on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m.
`If we don’t do something now, we’ll never get it,` he said. “