Jim Franco did a great job in providing information concerning the Town of Colonie comprehensive plan which was finalized this summer. Unfortunately, the current Town of Colonie administration which has been in power for 12 years failed to conduct a reasonable public input process for the new comprehensive plan. Citizens came to comprehensive plan meetings from many areas of Colonie but their views were rejected in almost all cases.
As we proceed to the next decade from 2019 Colonie will continue to suffer from over development, traffic problems, and changed neighborhoods. During the past 12 years we have seen vast changes to neighborhoods such as Route 9 in Newtonville, the Forts Ferry Road area, the site of the massive AYCO development in Latham, the Aviation Road area, the Maxwell Road corridor, and the Fuller Road area. All of these neighborhoods, and others could have been saved from congestion over the past 12 years if the Colonie administration had implemented the recommendations in the 2005 Comprehensive plan. Rather than managing the development in a smart way, the Town of Colonie officials simply ignored a series of critical recommendations that would have saved these neighborhoods.
Some of the more important recommendations from the 2005 Comprehensive Plan that the Colonie Town government failed to implement are listed below.
• Develop a town-wide economic development strategy.
• Enhance gateways to the town.
• Pursue redevelopment initiative for the Lincoln Avenue Industrial Revitalization Area.
• Consider reducing street widths in new residential developments.
• Institute a snow emergency regulation.
• Develop a town-wide sidewalk plan.
• Identify priority areas for open space conservation and develop a funding mechanism for conserving open space.
• Develop a Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
• Develop a neighborhood planning initiative-utilize West Albany for the first neighborhood plan.
• Consider the creation of a Design Review Board or an Architectural Review Board.
• Implement traffic calming measures.
• Establish a system of bicycle routes throughout the town and provide appropriate signage.
Today we are left with over development and traffic congestion mess in Colonie due to the poor management by the Town of Colonie officials over the past 12 years.
Kevin Bronner
Loudonville
