To the Editor:

At the Nov. 18 Guilderland Town Board meeting, Town Supervisor Peter Barber cast the final “yes” vote to advance the Dutch Mill Planned Unit Development application for 3633 Carman Road and quipped just beforehand that “the game hasn’t even started yet — we’re not even in the first inning, and this is a long process.” [“Dutch Mill Acres allowed to proceed after town board split vote,” The Altamont Enterprise, Nov. 21, 2025]

That comment is worth examining closely.

The Guilderland Planning Board reviewed this proposal over just two meetings spread across two holiday-shortened months before sending it back to the town board for a rezoning vote. That is a remarkably fast timeline for a proposal involving a permanent zoning change in an environmentally sensitive area.

Rezoning is not an early or reversible step. It is a legislative act with lasting consequences. Once zoning is changed, the town’s ability to meaningfully address environmental, traffic, and infrastructure impacts is significantly reduced.

This matters because Guilderland only recently adopted a new comprehensive plan after years of work, public input, and staff time, to serve as the town’s guiding land-use policy. That plan was formally adopted on Nov. 18, the same night this application was advanced.

Under New York state law, zoning decisions must be consistent with an adopted comprehensive plan. The plan clearly identifies Carman Road as a business corridor and emphasizes preserving established commercial areas to support economic activity and the tax base.

The parcel at 3633 Carman Road sits between Lone Pine and Spawn Road and is the last remaining General Business–zoned property along this stretch. Rezoning it for predominantly residential use would permanently sever that corridor.

Environmental considerations only heighten the concern. A wetland that is regulated by the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation lies directly across Carman Road from the site. Mapped wetlands exist on the parcel itself.

The town’s Future Land Use Map further identifies this property as part of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission Study Area — a designation the plan recognizes as warranting heightened environmental scrutiny.

Water displaced from wetlands and disturbed soils does not disappear. It flows somewhere, often into neighboring properties and existing residential areas.

Because of these factors, rezoning this parcel is a Type I action under the State Environmental Quality Review Act. State law requires that SEQRA review be completed before a rezoning vote, not after. SEQRA is meant to ensure that environmental and community impacts are fully understood before irreversible decisions are made.

This debate is not about being anti-development or anti-housing. Many residents support housing diversity and responsible growth. But location matters. Process matters. If you believe Guilderland already has more large apartment complexes than it can reasonably absorb, this is why — zoning decisions are being made first, with the details left to catch up later.

Residents have repeatedly asked what they would support at this site. Reasonable, plan-consistent possibilities exist that are already allowed under the property’s current General Business zoning: neighborhood-scale commercial uses, small-office space, a brewpub or restaurant that fits the corridor, or even recreational facilities that serve local families.

These uses align with surrounding development — wetlands to the west, commercial uses to the north and south, and a large single-family neighborhood to the east — without introducing high-density residential impacts.

When the town’s own comprehensive plan is set aside at the first opportunity, residents are left wondering whether the process is being followed or short-circuited.

Supervisor Barber is up for re-election this year and has recently run unopposed. That makes adherence to adopted policy and state law even more important. Zoning decisions last for decades. They deserve careful review, transparency, and compliance, not speed.

In a time when national politics are so divided, local land-use decisions should be an opportunity for common ground, where residents of all political views can engage respectfully, follow the rules, and trust that adopted plans and state law still matter.

Process, transparency, and environmental review are not partisan concepts. They are the foundation of good government, regardless of ideology.

If this truly is a long game, it should not begin by deciding the outcome before the first inning is even over. Or is this intended to be a rain-shortened five-inning game, Mr. Barber?

If you agree, please consider signing the neighborhood petition and/or writing to the town board.

Mark Pirri

Guilderland