Bethlehem community meeting draws few as supervisor details rail-trail, housing progress
At the Bethlehem Around Town community meeting on Thursday, Jan. 20, Supervisor Sam Messina and other town officials gave a handful of residents an update on some of the development projects currently in the works.
Messina said he is looking forward to opening a 1.85-mile portion of Rail Trail that would stretch from Fireman’s Memorial Park to Veteran’s Memorial Park. The holdup, he said, is the county’s ability to find funding.
[It] costs a lot of money, and we’re not going to get that money soon unless someone can tell me where it’s coming from, said Messina. `The town isn’t leading this, as a matter of fact, it wouldn’t cost the town anything. The county has to support this and Mohawk-Hudson is taking a leadership role.`
Sheri Sanduski stepped in for the town historian to give a brief update on the portion of town trying to get listed on state and federal historical registries as the Slingerlands Historic District. The area in question is New Scotland Road from the town line to the roundabout and a portion of Kenwood Avenue. The town is currently in the process of putting together an application that would go to the state and feds sometime in the spring.
`Most areas you’d see [encompassed] are natural historical properties in the hamlet of Slingerlands. To have this collective element of really a very sustainable quality of life that we can build here, not only for ourselves but we have to build this for our next generation,` said Sanduski. `We have to make sure there’s a balance of economic development and preservation. This is a very special place. It’s unlike other areas.`
Sanduski said the historic district designation would hopefully attract families, residents that don’t know about the area and visitors and businesses.
Messina said he wanted to emphasize that there would be no downsides to the town, landowners, property owners or homeowners if the area is deemed a historic district.
`It’s not one of those situations where you want to change something and will be overregulated; that’s not the deal here,` said Messina. `There’s nothing to fear here. It’s all good stuff about this district.`
Michael Morelli, director of the department of economic development and planning, gave an overview of the Vista Technology Campus. He said construction of Vista Boulevard, or Phase 1A, would include a 40,000-square-foot, two-story office building. It would preserve the cemetery at the back of the boulevard and would place a roundabout at the back. He also said some secondary uses for the tech park haven’t been formally submitted but have been talked about, like a couple banks, a drugstore, a grocery store not to exceed 65,000-square feet and a 5,500-square foot sit-down restaurant.
`The property is zoned for mixed economic development. About 80 percent will be professional offices and technology based businesses but they can also build 20 percent for secondary uses that would serve the residents,` said Morelli.
Morelli gave an update on the Hamlet Apartments project on New Scotland Road that would create a 50-unit multi-family residential development. While there are constraints with wetlands, Morelli said high-end apartments with garages are proposed, and the project is in the early conceptual stages. A walking path with access to Price Chopper Plaza is also planned.
Rob Leslie, senior planner, said the 130-acre Phillipin Kill Manor would have 30 twin homes off Fisher Boulevard, six homes off Orchard Street to resemble large estate lots and 49 single-family homes. The project received approval from the town board as a planned development district. About 35 acres of conservation land in that area would be dedicated to NYSDEC Five Rivers and there are plans to provide pedestrian access to the preserve.“
