To the Editor:

I second Bruce Dearstyne’s Jan. 10, 2019 letter [“Guilderland should consider new models for its future”] applauding Elizabeth Floyd Mair’s Jan. 3, 2019 article, “Apartments are what Guilderland is getting. Are they what is wants?” And I would add kudos for The Altamont Enterprise Nov. 15, 2018 editorial, “Letting developers decide what’s good for the town is like letting a 6-year-old buy the groceries.”

Dr. Dearstyne in both his recent letter and that of Dec. 27, 2018 [“Town needs to take stock and see what Guilderland residents want for their future”], has articulated the challenge that the town faces with the recent flood of apartment development proposals. He correctly advocates for a pause in the pending decisions that will shape the town for decades to come and he supplies a noteworthy reading list that should be taken as an assignment by members of all of the various town boards, councils, and committees.

I would add that it is beyond time for the town to ask residents, “What type of development would you like to see?” and also, as Bethlehem has done, ask, “What is it you would like to see preserved?”

I could not agree more that we must be proactive rather than simply reactive.

I’m not sure what legacy our town officials hope to leave of themselves for future residents, but the Robert Moses approach of “build, baby, build” should not be a part of it.

Frank Casey

Guilderland

Editor’s note: Frank Casey is a core member of Guilderland Citizens for Responsible Growth.