To the Editor:

Have the residents of the town of Guilderland yelled “uncle” on the continued re-zone requests presented to the elected town board?

It appears that the application to change the zoning of the Hiawatha Trails Golf Course from R-40 to PUD (planned unit development) for the purpose of constructing a 12,000-square-foot medical office building plus a mega 254-unit, three-story multi-building apartment complex exclusively for residents 55 years and older (defined as “senior”) seems to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The developer has offered to gift a portion of the unbuildable green space, constituting half of the present golf course, to the town to maintain and patrol as a park of questionable access with an as-yet-undesignated purpose, and additionally they have not made accommodations to maintain the promised walking trails and bike paths. Other information about the proposal is available on the town of Guilderland website: https://www.townofguilderland.org/home/pages/hiawatha- trails-planned-unit-development.

At first, this razing of the green-space golf course was opposed by residents of Presidential Estates Homes. Then, it came to light that homeowners in the Campus Club area simultaneously voiced their opposition as well as residents of Vale and Kennewyck further down Route 155 off of Dr. Shaw Road.

An online petition opposing the rezone request registered on change.org has generated almost 500 signatures making it apparent that the rezone-granting habit of the elected town board members is a Guilderland-wide concern.

While the town aggressively attempts to fill a vacated judgeship, the superintendent of highways, and a payroll clerical opening, the key position of town planner, unfulfilled since Jan. 1, 2017, is not addressed. In the absence of anyone in that position, the longtime chairman of the planning board wears two hats, passing judgment on planning layouts he has already passed judgment on as the defacto town planner.

Meanwhile, the town’s Conservation Advisory Council, to which the previous town planner referred requests such as the Hiawatha Trails proposal since it involves a creek that runs to the site of two town wells, has been shut out of providing thoughtful and valuable input.

Hence, residents from all corners of the community have formed the group, Guilderland Citizens for Responsible Growth, not to be naysayers for construction in Guilderland, but be reasonable on what is appropriate for the town as growth proceeds. Also, a Facebook page has been established with the handle @GuilderlandCRG.

As part of the ongoing process, the Carrow Real Estate Services, representing the developer for the Hiawatha Trails proposal, has announced to the Presidential Estates Homeowners Association that it will present an informational meeting at the Westmere firehouse at 1741 Western Ave. on Wednesday, May 2, at 7 p.m. The announcement was forwarded to residents of the Guilderland CRG.

Simultaneously, a flyer was distributed to residents of the Campus Club area by a Carrow employee for an identical meeting, but scheduled for Tuesday, May 1, instead. The Guilderland Citizens for Responsible Growth encourages anyone who is concerned about the direction of the town’s seemingly automatic approval of rezone requests to attend one or both of these meetings, although we suggest attendance at the May 2 meeting.

Frank Casey

Brian Collins

Erin Coufal

Britt Westergard

Guilderland

Editor’s note: Frank Casey and Brian Collins live in Presidential Estates Homes. Erin Coufal and Britt Westergard live in the Campus Club area. All are advocates of Guilderland Citizens for Responsible Growth.