With the Town of Bethlehem in good financial shape, Supervisor John Clarkson said he believes officials should focus on long-term improvements for the town and attracting appropriate economic development.
Clarkson gave his third State of the Town address on Thursday, Jan. 23, at Town Hall. During his speech, he once again emphasized the need for an appropriate balance of residential and commercial development as the town continues to grow.
“If we do it right, we’ll be able to grow the commercial base, and we’ll be able to increase the options available for residential housing without losing any of the quality aspects of the community we enjoy,” he said. “That’s what I think we all need to aim to do.”
The supervisor said that even as residents urge the town to make sure commercial development is placed in the right areas, residential development is growing more controversial. There is a resurgence in housing development as the economy slowly rebounds from the recession, with some residents looking down on building more apartments or townhomes.
“I think when we build that type of housing, we need to make sure it’s in an appropriate area, and we need to make sure it’s something that benefits the community and enhances it,” said Clarkson.
One of the most controversial projects as of late has been Wemple Corners, which was eventually sent back to developers after concerns were raised by the town board and planning staff following several public meetings. Clarkson said the project was too large, there weren’t enough non-ownership properties and there were design issues. The project will be coming back before the town, but town officials plan on reviewing the zoning laws going forward with future projects.
Clarkson said he plans to propose an open space program in February with input from volunteers.
“We have been talking about this for a decade in this town, and I think the vast majority of people want us to be able to preserve rural views and residential areas,” said Clarkson. “You cannot preserve them all.”
The supervisor said any sort of program like that needs some funding and the cooperation of willing landowners.
“If we don’t have that, we won’t be moving forward,” he said, adding he hopes the program will better identify land for preservation and help begin public/private partnerships.
Since the town board took the time to concentrate on the town’s finances the previous two years, Clarkson said would now like to work on identifying long-term improvements. He mentioned the construction of more sidewalks, especially along Feura Bush Road, along with the implementation of the Delaware Avenue Enhancement Study.
A new advisory committee has been established to help make the study come to fruition and to decide how the grant money awarded to the town should be used. Town officials want to add trees along Delaware Avenue, increase beautification initiatives and make it easier for pedestrians and bikers to visit shops in Delmar.
Clarkson also said he wanted to begin a new citizens committee to help fight the town’s growing deer population. He said he’s received complaints from residents about the deer disturbing gardens, increased traffic issues and the growing fear of the spread of Lyme disease.
“I’m not a scientist; I don’t know the link, but I do understand there is a link,” he said.
He added that a committee could be formed to help vet the issue among the town’s professionals.
Councilman Jeffrey Kuhn said he agrees with the majority of Clarkson’s priorities for the coming year.
“I think by improving and preserving the things that make Bethlehem unique, those are the things that make both people and new businesses want to move here,” he said. “The priorities in State of the Town are consistent with my vision of what the town board can do to effectively help the community.”
Councilwoman Joanne Dawson said open space has been a hot topic for years, and she thinks Clarkson is right to put that back on the agenda for the coming year. She said other topics needed to take precedent, but development is once again becoming an important issue.
“It’s important to preserve the character of the town without imposing on private property rights, and that’s always been the balance,” she said. “I think it’s every exciting to have this back on our priority list, and while we might not get everything everyone wants, there are a number of innovations we’ve seen other towns successfully achieve.”