To the Editor:

Guilderland needs a plan for its future development and character as a community. It is running the risk of being overwhelmed by simultaneous, uncoordinated development.

The Enterprise has recently reported proposals for sizeable apartment and housing developments on Church Road near its intersection with Route 20; adjacent to Crossgates Mall; another adjacent to the Guilderland Public Library; and still another on State Farm Road across from Farnsworth Middle School. There may be others in the offing.

Of course, well-planned, systematic development is good. But every one of these developments will increase the town’s population and put more traffic on Western Avenue/Route 20, which is already overcrowded in morning and evening rush hours.

They will put more pressure on the town’s police, highway, water, sewer, fire, and ambulance services. The police are busy with Crossgates Mall among other things. The volunteer Western Turnpike Rescue Squad has just gone out of business, replaced by paid town employees.

Will growing residential development mean that volunteer fire departments do the same? Development will also add to the need for school services.

Incredibly, Pyramid Corporation, which has just opened a dual-use hotel on Western Avenue in front of Crossgates Mall after receiving over $1 million in tax breaks, is asking for $1.2 million in sales and use tax exemptions, and $355,000 in mortgage recording-tax exemptions to build its residential complex.

This may be a good time to pull over to the side, catch our breath, take stock, and find out what the people of Guilderland would like for the future of their town. For instance:

— Guilderland had 35,303 people in the 2010 census. Approximately how many residents should the town be aiming for by 2020? 2030? At the middle of the century?

— What should be the town’s policy for tax breaks to promote development?

— Should the town be encouraging single-family homes as in the past?

— What would we like to see by way of expanded employment opportunities in town, beyond malls, restaurants, and apartment complex maintenance? What should the town be doing to further that objective?

— What should be done to accommodate the growing volume of traffic that is challenging the capacity of the town’s only east-west corridor, Western Avenue/Route 20?

— Guilderland has no real community center — a venue where people can gather and build and share a sense of community. Should the library, town parks, Town Hall, or something else fill that void?

— What needs to be done to preserve the historical features and character of the town?

— Will land and school taxes go up or down?

Of course, these are just a few possible questions. But now would be a good time to ask and answer them.

Bruce W. Dearstyne

Westmere