To the Editor:

Since last week’s news article in The Altamont Enterprise, a lot of people have been asking questions about who the “small band of Altamont residents” is and why they have chosen to challenge the village board’s rezoning decision to allow Stewart’s Shops to expand onto a residential lot next to its existing business in the village’s downtown core.

We are your friends and neighbors, including residents, local businesses, and even former residents who care deeply about our village, and want to correct mistakes that were made in the village’s review and approval process that could cause irreversible harm to the village and to the neighborhood where Stewart’s is located.

More than 190 people, mostly village residents, signed a petition to the village board last December, urging the board to do a careful review before taking action on Stewart’s rezoning request. Scores of residents spoke out at the Dec. 12 public hearing or sent letters to the board raising serious concerns about how the proposed expansion could impact the environment and character of the village as a whole, and the surrounding Helderberg Avenue-Severson Avenue neighborhood in particular.

In approving Stewart’s Shops’ request for the rezoning change that night in a controversial 3-to-2 vote, the village board paved the way for a turn-of-the-century house to be demolished; for long-term tenants to be evicted; and for the potential expansion of the Stewart’s gasoline service station, convenience store, and parking lot deep into a residential neighborhood.

All of this was done without any consideration of alternatives, such as whether Stewart’s could potentially expand or rebuild its store within its existing commercial lot.

Stewart’s is an important part of our community, and we are not opposed to its desire to upgrade its store. But this lawsuit is about the village board and its decision-making process, not Stewart’s. Whether you are for or against Stewart’s proposed expansion, the village board has a responsibility to follow lawful procedure when considering development proposals.

The intent of zoning is to balance individual property rights with the interests of the community to create a healthy, safe, and orderly living environment.

It is our organization’s position that the village board did not conduct a proper review of the potential adverse environmental impacts of the entire project, including increased traffic, lighting, noise, tree removal, stormwater runoff, flooding, water-quality impacts and impacts to the cultural and historic resources and character of the community, as is required under state law.

Furthermore, the zoning change was not in accordance with the village’s well-considered comprehensive plan, which looked at the character of each district within the village and identified its suitability for particular uses.

We are grateful to trustees Dean Whalen and John Scally for listening carefully to these concerns and voting against the zoning change last December. After that unfortunate decision was made, a number of residents from across the village formed the Concerned Severson Neighbors.

Dozens have contributed financially and have assisted this effort in other ways. This support has been very heartening and reflects the level of passion village residents have for seeing this through.

We support creating a thriving mix of businesses and residences in our community, while ensuring the maintenance of the unique aesthetic character of Altamont as a whole, and the downtown core in particular, as reflected in the vision for the future of Altamont that was developed through the village’s 2006 comprehensive plan.

Our goal is not to turn neighbor against neighbor, but to go back and correct mistakes that were made when the village board approved the rezoning, with the expectation that an improved process will result in a better project that we all can support.

We would like to work it out, not fight it out. If successful, Stewart’s will have to go back and work with the community to develop plans that are consistent with the community’s vision.

Concerned Severson Neighbors invites you to join in the effort to protect Altamont’s neighborhoods and the residents who live in them. For more information on how you can contribute to our efforts contact: Concerned Severson Neighbors, Post Office Box 94, Altamont, NY 12009.

Martin Burke

Laura Haight

Andrew Labruzzo

Michael McNeany

Carol Rothenberg

Harvey Vlahos

on behalf of

Concerned

Severson Neighbors

Altamont