Dutchman Acres causes stir

GUILDERLAND — Neighbors came en masse to hear developers explain their plan for a cluster of houses they hope to build near the Black Creek flood plain.

Greg and Chris Meyer were before the town board with their plans for Dutchman Acres, a residential development on a 40-acre plot near the high school in Guilderland Center.  The pair were seeking a change in the zoning designation of the parcel, from its current RA-3, which specifies one house per three acres, to Country Hamlet, which allows for clustered development in one area surrounded by green space.

Town Supervisor Kenneth Runion began the public hearing by reading recommendations from the Albany County Planning Board, which included further analysis of potential traffic flow issues and a storm-water management plan, “given the high water table and history of drainage problems in the area.”

Most of the half dozen residents who spoke had questions about the walking trails planned for the green space on the property and concerns about the flooding in the area and the impact that a development might have on an already tenuous water table.

“Every one of us has an issue of flooding,” said Craig Laviolette of his neighborhood.  “It’s an annual occurrence down there.”

Neighbors aren’t necessarily opposed to the development, Kelly Gardner said, just cautious about what the impacts might be.

Rather than granting the conditional re-zone that the Meyers were hoping for, the board voted unanimously to appoint Delaware Engineering as the town designated engineer to work on the studies suggested by the county’s planning board.

Other business

In other business, the town board:

—         Heard from Joseph Bryant that he has concerns about the potential for increased traffic resulting from the proposed Glass Works development on Route 20;

—         Voted unanimously to appoint Andre M. Delvaux as a paramedic from the Albany County Civil Service list;

—         Voted unanimously to set a public hearing for Susan Thomas’s request for a re-zone of property at 4770 Western Ave. from Industrial to RA-3;

—         Voted unanimously to authorize the supervisor to sign a collector’s warrant for the Guilderland water district;

—         Voted unanimously to appoint Peter Letko as Water Treatment Plant Operator III;

—         Voted unanimously to authorize the installation of a stop sign on Valley Lane at the intersection of Country Road;

—         Conducted interviews for the open police chief post in executive session;

—         Discussed CSEA contract negotiations in executive session; and

—         Approved a Police Benevolent Association memorandum agreement in executive session.