GUILDERLAND — Dealing with major re-zoneing and development issues around Guilderland, the town board on Tuesday received impact documents on a $100 million mixed-use development, re-zoned five lots on Spawn Road, and approved amendments to the Mill Hill Planned Unit Development application.
The proposed $100 million development called "The Glass Works Village," a name suggested by town historian Alice Begley, is slated to include 345 condominiums along with 195,000 square feet of retail and commercial space, a village green, a nature preserve, and three parks on 57 acres off of Windingbrook Road and Western Avenue.
The term "Glass Works" is a reference to the town’s historic glass-making factory, which pre-dated the Revolutionary War, and was of the first major industrial outfits in North America.

The project is proposed by Atlantic Pacific Properties, Platform Reality Group, and DRA of Troy, which sent representatives to Tuesday night’s town board meeting to present the town with scoping documents.

The scoping documents lay out the various impacts that Glass Works project will have on the town including environmental, traffic, community, as well as economic and financial.
"I thought the documents were very thorough," Supervisor Kenneth Runion told The Enterprise.

Copies of the scoping documents were also sent to various New York State and Albany County agencies, including the state’s departments of transportation, environmental conservation, and health, and the county’s planning board and department of health, as well as the Pine Bush Preserve Commission and the local town agencies.

The scoping documents will be available to the public at the Guilderland Public Library and the Altamont Free Library and on the town’s website. Public comments will be added to scoping documents until Sept. 15, according to Runion.

The project will need a zoning change, site-plan approval, and various zoning permits before The Glass Works Village can become a reality.
"This is a unique project that will create a hamlet atmosphere," said Joseph Sausto, an attorney for Platform Reality Group. "Although it will have a positive impact on the town’s tax base, it will have minimal impacts on the residents."

Sausto told the board that, according to preliminary traffic studies, a traffic light would not be put in on Western Avenue because of the proximity to other lights on the busy roadway.

The town board members accepted the documents and then made their own comments on the project.

Board member Mike Ricard told the Glass Works representatives to be very thorough when gathering neighborhood input on the project, citing problem that the YMCA had in building in that particular area. Ricard warned that residential input would be vital to the planning process for such a large project.
"I am interested to see how the project’s going to integrate itself with the rest of the neighborhood," said board member David Bosworth.

Bosworth said he was concerned with the scope of the project and wanted to know what direct impact on the town would result from such a project.
"Where will this take us" Will it take us to the City of Guilderland"" Bosworth questioned the development’s representatives. Saying that he doubts the impact would be that dramatic, Bosworth stated that careful planning was necessary for the Glass Works Village to be compatible with the town’s master plan.
"What will this do for our way of life"" he asked.
"Is your traffic study going to take into account for people visiting the commercial sections of the project"" questioned board member Patricia Slavick.
"Yes"They’re all based on different peak hours," responded Sausto. "We are able to calculate the different uses at different times."
Runion said he wanted to make sure the project is not an "isolated circle," but fully integrated with walkable features.
"I would like to see a better integration with the library and the elementary school," said Runion. "I’d rather see some walkable features that encourage people to leave their cars"The key of this project it to get people to leave their cars in the garage and walk to a local shop."

Runion and Bosworth both agreed that Guilderland is in the midst of a balancing act between commercialization and residential housing in order to ensure the town’s tax base is not overburdened by residential drain or under-funded from lack of business. Runion asked for an extensive economic impact study to be done for the project to determine the actual benefit to the town.

The board unanimously adopted the scoping documents for public viewing and discussion.

Mill Hill

The Mill Hill retirement community project has been in the works for nearly 20 years after several setbacks and amendments, and a change of ownership.

The board granted the proposed amendments with a stipulation that a Stewart’s shop, planned as part of the development, not be built to look like most Stewart’s shops, but instead be built to blend in with the surrounding area.
"We are asking the planning and zoning boards to pay close attention to the features of the store," Runion told The Enterprise yesterday, saying the other town boards will have to approve the store’s design before it can get site approval as part of the development. "The board feels the typical Stewart’s building does not fit in with that community."

The amendments for the Mill Hill development include: lowering the entry-age from 65 to 55; reducing the density in phases one two and three of the project; eliminating 81 units from the project; increasing the open green space from 12.5 to 15 acres; increasing the passive-use green space from 18.4 to 18.5 acres; proposing a ground lease to Stewart’s; and donating eight acres of land to the town for park use off of Johnston Road.

The biggest sticking point between Mill Hill representatives and the town board was the design of the purposed Stewart’s shop
"I think that’s a pretty substantial issue," said Bosworth. "Like the Walgreens store, the look of the store is a major considereation."
Bosworth added that a standard Stewart’s store would simply not "cut it" in the Johnston Road area.
"We represent the people of Guilderland and clearly there is a great sensitivity to commercialization," Bosworth told Mill Hill representatives, who responded by saying that, if Stewart’s could not comply, the development could carry out its plans without the store.
"I think it’s favorable to have a place for people to get everyday things like milk, bread, aspirin, etc.," said Runion.

The board unanimously adopted the changes.

Other business

In other business, the town board unanimously:

— Voted to re-zone 3011 to 3015 Spawn Road from General Business to R-15, which is a residential zone with a minimum of 15,000 square-feet.

Runion told The Enterprise that the re-zone was brought to his attention through a petition and was passed to created a buffer between business zones and the residential neighborhood.

Town planner Jan Weston is working on a zoning study of the area between Spawn and Lone Pine roads;

— Authorized the naming of the Western Turnpike access road as Arthur’s Place;

— Authorized a transfer of $32,000 from Water Reserve Account for replacement of granulated activated carbon units at the town’s water treatment plant;
— Instituted a "no truck" except for local delivery policy on Pauline Avenue as recommended by the Traffic Safety Committee;

— Authorized a pedestrian crosswalk on Wormer Road to accommodate pedestrians of the Albany Country Club as recommended by the Traffic Safety Committee;

— Accepted sidewalk and sewer easements at 3761 Carman Road;

— Approved a temporary appointment of Cory Nichols to Paramedic Supervisor to fill a vacant position, which was due to an employee disability, and provisionally appointed Jason Yourdon from part-time paramedic to full-time paramedic;

— Authorized the supervisor to bid for installation of sidewalks on Carman Road between Lone Pine and Coons roads; and

— Accepted utilities and roads within the Saddlebrook subdivision pursuant to a letter of the town designated engineer.