Historic Altamont"
Villagers protest proposed zoning law



ALTAMONT — A call to preserve village character has been misconstrued and made into a plan to set a wealth standard, say critics of the newly proposed zoning law. Drafters of the law say that the intent was to give the village’s planning board a guideline to follow.

A public hearing was held on Tuesday night for the law, which was written after the village’s comprehensive plan was adopted last winter, the plan recommended an overhaul of the village’s zoning regulations. Dozens of citizens crowded into a cluster of tightly packed chairs set up in the middle of the village hall meeting room to voice their concerns Tuesday.

The most hotly contested part of the proposal was the 10-page section towards the middle of the 158-page document, laying out requirements for the new Historic Overlay District, which covers most of the center of the village.
Most of the dozen people who spoke worried that the new terms are too restrictive. One section states: "Exterior changes such as changes in siding material, paint color, style of window, doors, architectural features," will require a Historic Design Review by the village’s planning board.
"I don’t think you have the right to do that," Charles Ciaccio, of Lincoln Avenue, told the village board. It was one of several comments on restricting homeowners’ decisions, like paint selection, that drew applause from the audience.
The document was meant to serve as a guideline for the planning board, which will become the lead agency in matters once covered by the zoning board of appeals if the law is adopted, said Trustee Dean Whalen, an architect who chairs the committee that drafted the law. The committee will regroup and amend that section, he said yesterday, following the comments at Tuesday’s meeting, which he said were "very well thought out."
"I was a little discouraged," Whalen said of the flood of negative feedback on the plan, but he was pleased that so many people participated.
"Our ideas and observations were so misunderstood," said Melanie Jakway, of Maple Avenue, on Tuesday. She had participated in planning discussions held by the committee to get input from village residents and feels that their desire to preserve Altamont’s community spirit was misconstrued and represented as a set of standards that residents must meet, calling some requirements "a financial drain."

After she read from a prepared statement, Jakway called for a public referendum, rather than a board vote, to approve the proposed law, for which she received enthusiastic applause.
"There is no likelihood of a referendum," Whalen said yesterday. He hadn’t been opposed to it at the meeting, but said that, afterwards, he learned that a public vote on the law wouldn’t be legal.
Jeff Perlee, a local landowner, echoed other residents’ concerns at the meeting when he warned the board of the need to maintain economic diversity in the village. He urged the committee to consider the unintended consequences of some regulations, saying, "It might end up as a nice looking, but yuppie, ghetto of sorts."

Some residents who live within the proposed historic district but have newer houses told the board that they were worried about the effect it might have.
"It doesn’t say that, because your home is in a historic district, you have to make your home historic," Whalen said yesterday.
"Obviously, something has to change," he said, regarding the proposed historic district.
After residents had finished commenting at Tuesday’s meeting, Trustee Kerry Dineen said that she didn’t disagree with anything that was said, pointing out that she, too, is a resident of the village and did not sit on the committee that wrote the law. Trustee William Aylward also said that there were some parts of the proposed law that need to be amended. Trustee Chris Marshall, who has worked with the committee since she was elected to the village board in March, said to the crowd, "I think you’ve spoken pretty clearly." Mayor James Gaughan played the role of moderator during the hearing and said that discussion would continue through November.

Some residents also disliked the proposal to change the fairground’s designation to Planned Unit Development. Edna Litten, of Main Street, asked that a piece of the fairgrounds be preserved for use as a park if the land is ever sold for development.
"Given the size of the parcel, there is a real sense that it should be planned," Whalen said in January of the way the Altamont fairgrounds should be developed, if, in fact, they are. He wants to make sure that further development around Altamont has a village feel, rather than the typical cul-de-sac and cookie-cutter house design that has become the suburban status quo. Changing the fairground’s zoning designation was recommended in the village’s recently-adopted comprehensive plan.
At Tuesday’s meeting Joan Kappel, of Main Street, offered several critiques of the zoning law, but said, overall, "There’s too much good stuff to just throw it away."

Other business

In other business at the Oct. 2 meeting, the village board:

—Heard from Linda Cure, who works with senior citizens in the village and park programs, that this year’s farmers’ market was a success. There were new vendors this year, she said, and she’d like to get feedback to make improvements for next year’s market. Also, she said, entertainment for village seniors has been successful with performances by several area musicians;

— Heard from Donald Cropsey, the village’s building inspector, that there is a new state building code. There is a three-month grace period before it must be enforced, he said;

— Heard from Timothy McIntyre, superintendent of public works, that the village’s leaf vacuum will begin making its rounds on Oct. 10 to clean up yard refuse — it will continue through Nov. 30;

— Heard from McIntyre that most of the aggressive flushing to clean out the village’s water system is complete; there will likely be one more round at the end of November;

— Heard from McIntyre that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will give the village roughly $72,000 for repairs that are necessary after flooding in the village last spring;

— Heard from Norman Bauman that the neighborhood association will be meeting on the last Tuesday of every month, he encouraged residents to attend the Oct. 30 meeting;

— Voted unanimously to refund $412.50 to Noah Lodge for an error in the reading of his water meter;

— Voted unanimously to block off Grand Street to Fairview from 3 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 21 for a neighborhood party;

— Voted unanimously to hold a Halloween parade to travel down Maple Avenue and end in a gathering in Orsini Park on Oct. 31 at 6 p.m.;

— Voted unanimously to pay the engineering firm Barton & Loguidice $14,200 for services regarding the village’s water and sewer systems; and

— Voted unanimously to be lead agency in the adoption of the village zoning changes.