COLONIE — The Planning Board sent an 11-lot housing subdivision on Dunsbach Road back to the drawing board at its last meeting.
The plan was changed dramatically from when it was first proposed in April. But, the board still had questions about storm water, the proximity of existing neighbors and disrupting designated wetlands to build homes, which will sell for between $350,000 and $400,000.
“All the good parcels have been developed in town so we are working with what we have so we will put our thinking caps on and come up with another layout,” said Nick Costa, of Advance Engineering and Surveying, who presented the plan on behalf of the developer, Anthony Casale.
The developer is looking or a conservation subdivision for the 9.6 acre site between Dunsbach Ferry Road and the Northway which would allow more density in return of preserving more greenspace.
One Dunsbach Ferry neighbor spoke at the meeting held on Zoom, and Donald Ferris asked a number of questions about wetlands, storm water and the dimensions of a proposed berm between the latest development and his home.
He also was concerned with the amount of development in that area of town.
“We have other developments in the area, Dunsbach Ferry, Pollock and Sparrowbush,” he said. “I am questioning if we have taken an inclusive review of traffic impacts of these projects.”
As to the wetlands issue, Costa said the Army Corps of Engineers has not reviewed the site because engineers there have not been doing site visits due to being busy with the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan, he said, is to pay a mitigation fee for impacting the wetlands but that would ultimately be up to the Corps of Engineers.
Planning Board member Steve Heider said he would like to see the home encroaching on the wetlands eliminated from the plan and was not in favor of building a berm as a buffer for the neighbors.
“I can’t see interfering with wetlands for a house lot,” he said.
“Some of these lots will have to be combined and others will have to disappear,” said board member Craig Shamlian.
The developer did remove one cul-de-sac from the proposed new road and one lot from the April proposal and the required greenspace to qualify for a conservation subdivision was worked out, but the board took exception with the idea of cutting into a berm among the Northway, the proximity to the existing homes on Dunsbach and building one home partially on the designated wetlands.
“Those concerns have not been addressed on the latest plan,” said Joe Grasso, the Town Designated Engineer on the project.
