In the wake of a proposed retail center off of Albany Shaker Road, county and town officials are trying to alleviate traffic in the town.
The Albany County Legislature voted Monday, Aug. 10, to team with the Town of Colonie for a traffic study of the Albany Shaker Road corridor. Legislator Christine Benedict, R-Colonie, also proposed at Monday’s meeting adding a left-turn signal at the light in front of The Crossings in Colonie.
The traffic study was in part sparked by a proposal for development at 499-507 Albany Shaker Road. Originally supposed to be 38 single-family houses, the Foegtli Farms developer changed the project to an 80-unit condominium development limited to ages 55 and older to attempt to alleviate traffic coming from the site.
The Colonie Planning Board ultimately decided against recommending a Planned Development District to the Town Board, which would have allowed the condominium project to move forward.“As I’ve walked around our town neighborhoods, one of the main concerns for the people here in the Albany Shaker Road area has been that of traffic. Traffic that often diverts onto our residential streets,” said Benedict, who is also running for Town Supervisor in the upcoming election.
Much of the traffic concerns, though, stem from a proposal for a large retail site at 645A Albany Shaker Road, coined the Old Maxwell Road Shopping Center. The 50.7-acre project, first proposed at the Zoning Board of Appeals in late April, includes two large retail buildings and three smaller spaces.
Early projections estimated the project would result in 552 new trips coming and going during peak evening hours. According to site plans, over 1,600 parking spaces would be required.
In addition, the area has several more projects in development, whether in early planning stages and not yet fully approved, or under construction. First Columbia has a hotel and office development being built beside Afrim’s Sports, which will house Pioneer Bank’s new headquarters.
Town Supervisor Paula Mahan said the town is aware of the amount of development proposals and of the heavy traffic in the Albany Shaker Road area. She said the town has been working with state officials, as the Exit 4 bridge is being redone and plans for reconfiguring the nearby Northway exit could be in the works, depending on funding.
As well, the town has worked with members of the regional chamber and county officials to look at projects and businesses being proposed.
The ongoing traffic issues are why the town formed an ad hoc committee to specifically study the Albany Shaker Road corridor. The study area includes Maxwell Road intersections with Route 9 and Old Niskayuna, Albany Shaker’s intersection with Osborne Road and down to Engel Farm.
The committee reviewed a first draft traffic study, completed at the end of July, which was done by the Old Maxwell Road center developers.
The committee comprises of officials from state Department of Transportation, Capital District Transportation Committee, the Albany County and Colonie Departments of Public Works, town planning and building department, and two town-designated engineers, one specialized in traffic.
“I think everyone is looking at this very thoroughly,” said Mahan. “(We want) to get a clearly objective view from a group of experts in the field that can each look at their part and present us with their findings so we can make good decisions.”
So far, the committee had one meeting, with another planned shortly, to take a preliminary look at the draft traffic study and set dates for future meetings.
At the Planning Board’s Tuesday, Aug. 11, meeting, Mahan said the traffic study has already had to be sent back to the developers for revision.
Planning and Economic Development Department Director Joe LaCivita said the study dismissed Saturday-specific traffic. He said traffic studies traditionally look at impacts Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but since an outdoor retailer is proposed, it changes traffic patterns.
“One component of the retail site that they’re talking about is actually being specifically marketed to an outdoor sporting venue, so that changes that retail to potentially a regional, or more recreational use,” said LaCivita.
The study also looked at widening Maxwell Road, but since there is a nearby conservation overlay, it puts constraints on the road, he said.
Benedict said projects like the Old Maxwell Road Shopping Center are partially due to changes in the town’s Land Use Law and expanding the special use permit uses, which the retail components of the project would need.
In 2006, when serving on the Town Board, Benedict said special use permits did not allow for retail use, but that has since changed.
“These changes hurt our neighborhoods…. Development is great for our town, but it needs to be done with proper planning. Colonie needs to step back, listen to its residents, listen to the concerns of their neighborhoods and how they’ve been affected by this overgrowth,” Benedict said.
Mahan said the changes in permit uses were due to problems in the zoning process. “There was a process in place that actually came to a dead end. It didn’t work. It was just ineffective,” she said.
The town’s Land Use Committee looked at issues in the zoning process and revised it, making it easier and fairer.
“We’ve had provisions along the way and some of the issues don’t come to light until it actually comes in the form of a proposal,” said Mahan.
The Crossings
Benedict’s proposal for a left-turn signal at The Crossings of Colonie went to the County’s Safety Committee.
The committee will meet at the end of the month. If the proposal gets passed, it will appear again before the County Legislature to be voted on. Her full proposal includes the left-turn signal westbound on Albany Shaker Road and a delayed eastbound green light.
According to Benedict, the light at the Crossings has been one of the main areas of concern on Albany Shaker Road. Traffic often backs up until drivers are waiting several light changes before they can get through.
“This creates highly traveled residential roads,” Benedict said, especially with the park’s popularity in the Capital District.
Mahan said the backed up traffic near The Crossings has been an ongoing issue and brought up to Albany County several times, since Albany Shaker is a county road. One of the major issues, said Mahan, is the single exit to and from the park.
She said the town has been looking at installing a left-turn lane, but the property to widen the road would conflict with nearby residents.
“There are some of the things we have already been working on…. We see the issue being the only on way in and out when it was designed. We’re not sure why they designed it that way,” said Mahan.
