To the Editor:

On Tuesday, July 21, at 7 p.m., our village board will be hearing the plans offered by the Stewart’s corporation about the future remodeling of its current store, located on the corners of Helderberg Avenue and Route 156.

Its plan, in part, as stated at the March board meeting, was to request the rezoning of the residential property at 107-109 Helderberg Ave. to a commercial zone, then expand and enlarge Stewart’s to fill that area.

Once again, I remind our board and our community of the Altamont Comprehensive Plan and the subsequent zoning laws that form the guidelines for preserving and protecting the unique historic character of Altamont. The Times Union recently identified Altamont as one of the area’s hidden gems. (See the “Mayor’s Notes” in The Enterprise for June 25, 2015.)

Do we want the commercial footprint of Altamont to be enlarged? Do we want a two-family residence with children attending our schools to be torn down? Are we ready for an increase in traffic? Check out Google maps or Google Earth and visually note the scale of the proposed increase.

We are a village of fewer than 2,000 residents. Our neighborhood Stewart’s supplies us with its dairy products, coffee, lunch items, beer and soda, snacks, grocery items, etc. I shop at Stewart’s and find it convenient.

And yes, those from the Hilltowns also shop at Stewart’s. But please note that in 2005, Berne rejected Stewart’s proposal to build a shop in their town after a lengthy debate. (See The Enterprise from June 30, 2015.)

Is our Altamont store going to be enlarged to accommodate shoppers from the various Hilltowns? Will a Western Avenue-style store fit into our village plan?

Let’s come together at Tuesday’s board meeting and listen, learn, and speak from our hearts about what feels right for our historic community.

Carol Rothenberg

Altamont

Editor’s note: Carol Rothenberg lives on Helderberg Avenue.