To the Editor:

Town of New Scotland and village of Voorheesville residents: Want a say in how Route 85A will develop?  Here are two chances:

— No. 1: A two-story, mixed-use development of retail spaces and apartments, as reported in last week’s Altamont Enterprise, is being proposed between Stonewell Plaza and Falvo’s Meat Market.  It will set the tone for the rest of the road.

The Town of New Scotland Planning Board, which does not have aesthetic guidelines to follow in the zoning code, will consider the proposal.  The most recent example of the planning board’s efforts is the prefab building that replaced the historic Hilton Barn.

If you, as residents of the town, want to be involved in the development on Route 85A, get onto the town’s website and follow the directions to sign up for notices from the planning board (and/or other town departments).

Do you want a boulevard with flowering trees and sidewalks?  Do you want commercial enterprises to be connected on the interior so that you don’t have to continually drive out to Route 85A to get from one to another?

Do you want to encourage interior walkability between residential and commercial development on Route 85A?  Should development on Route 85A be connected to the Rail Trail? Do you want new buildings to look institutionally uniform?

There are lots of questions to consider, and there are lots of opinions.

What does “rural ambience,” which, for years, has been the mantra of desire by residents, actually mean?  Will drive-through businesses encourage or discourage an emphasis on cars, rather than on people — gathering, meeting, and socializing? How much more traffic do we want on Route 85A, not how many more cars will the road efficiently handle, but, rather, do we want this road to become a highway?

Will we invite chain stores to our community, or will we allow our local governments to provide incentives for local entrepreneurs?  Do we want to see the end of farming, or is there something we can do to encourage farming?

— No. 2: The private consultant hired by the CDTC [Capital District Transportation Committee] Study Advisory Committee, which will influence Route 85A most consequentially for years to come, has submitted proposed Hamlet Development District Zoning Language to the town.  If you want a sneak peak, contact the town to get a copy.

Keep in mind: Developments might be approved before the town has a chance to enact new zoning code and aesthetic guidelines.  Go to public meetings, at which you can have a say, before final plans are adopted.

Don’t let anyone tell you that we, the residents, cannot decide our future.  Yes, we can! We are the ones who live here, whose souls will be either ennobled or abased by the decisions we allow to be made.

The answer to controlling our quality of life is to be prepared and involved.

It is up to us.

Edie Abrams

New Scotland

Editor’s note: Edie Abrams is a member of the New Scotland Zoning Board of Appeals.