The Town of Colonie’s Comprehensive Plan Review Committee got a little more than it asked for when seeking public comment for amendments to the plan created in 2005 on Dec. 13, when several residents from the western end of town asked for them to look into rezoning.
Colonie Councilman and member of the committee Daniel Hornick had to play crowd control when several members of the business community from western Colonie claimed the value of their land significantly decreased after the zoning changed from Industrial to Residential.
It started with resident Suzanne Perry-Potts when she refuted a part of the vision statement where it said Colonie contains desirable neighborhoods, pedestrian safe roadways, open green spaces and superior recreation resources with business friendly development.
`It used to be the most desirable,` she said. `But now a lot of people don’t think so.`
She went on to say that the announcement of future meetings where zoning and planning were to be discussed were never relayed to the western end of town and argued for businesses’ need to change to Industrial zoning, involving the Pine Bush Preserve.
`Businesses in that area need industrial zoning,` she said. `We do not want to be non-conforming`
A petition opposing the `designation of ownership` over their private land will be presented to the committee on Dec. 20 for a public hearing.
Another resident and business owner Dave Raber said he would not be able to sell his business because the area is now zoned as residential, claiming his buildings are `worthless` and that if the town wanted to be considered business friendly that the zoning would be changed back to industrial.
`You need to address and put in the Comprehensive Plan that the western part of Colonie has to be taken into consideration,` he said.
Trying to steer the conversation back on track, Hornick said that all the meetings the residents claim they were not notified of were published in official newspapers. More importantly, he stressed that the committee has not been delegated the powers to provide recommendations on zoning.
`This committee is not charged with making any recommendations to the zoning law,` he said, adding that it is dealt with by the Planning and Economic Development Department.
Town Supervisor Paula Mahan soon stepped in to tell those who spoke that the town understands their concerns and that they have been hearing these complaints for a long time.
`The plan was put in place with the previous administration and the Planning Board is working on the zoning issues,` she said. `It’s a whole separate issue from the review of the Comprehensive Plan.`
She emphasized that the committee is just in charge to review the plan and would not be creating another one. Mahan also added that while the 2005 plan originally required the committee to review it in 10 years, they are trying to be proactive and answer the incoming high-tech businesses coming to the area.
Hornick then began to go through a list of different actions the committee should be taking, ranking them with labels such as immediate, mid-term action, short term, on-going action or that the projects are complete.
Projects such as the restructuring of the Planning and Economic Development, preparing a town-wide economic development strategy and compiling and organizing the town’s historic and cultural resource information would fall under the immediate action category.
Actions considered on-going include looking at ways to provide a wide variety of affordable housing, such as utilizing the Home Energy Assistance Program, for struggling resident and senior citizens.
Creating an Architecture Review Advisory Committee to ensure that new structures being built blend in with existing buildings in the area by refining existing design guidelines is listed as a project for short term action by the committee, meaning it would be done when appropriate or beneficial to the town.
One resident, Patrick Quinn, came out against the formation of the committee as he said the town does not have an `adequate set of design guidelines` and that it would not deserve the title of architectural review.
`There’s no objective, no goal,` he said. `It’s too wishy washy.`
Another meeting was held at 2 p.m. at the Crossings Meeting Room on Dec. 14. Check www.spotlightnews.com and next week’s Spotlight for coverage of that meeting as well.
There will be a public hearing on the plan on Dec. 20, at 7 p.m. at the Public Operation Center on Old Niskayuna Road. This will be the last chance for residents to speak on the amendments before the committee brings them before the Town Board for a `yes` or `no` vote.
The final draft of the amendments can be viewed
here
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