GUILDERLAND — The planning board last week gave conceptual approval to the proposed Glass Works Village neighborhood, for which the town board will uncharacteristically act as lead agent for the project.

The nearby library’s reading garden, however, may suffer increased traffic if the project goes through as planned.

The grand design, a $100 million project, centered among Guilderland Elementary School, the Guilderland Public Library, and the Guilderland YMCA at the intersection of Western Avenue and Winding Brook Drive, would offer single-family cottages, row houses, and retail stores within one neighborhood.
Planning Board Chairman Stephen Feeney said that a bus stop needs to be added at the site. "That’s critical," he said. He questioned the amount of parking spaces proposed, calling it "mall" spacing. "Is that really necessary" It seems like a lot of parking," he said.
"A lot of issues were addressed," Feeney said, comparing the proposal to several that have come before.

Project spokesman Dominick Ranieri said that the project now has a more defined sense of public and private spaces. The new plan eliminates a center road through the development, leaving the area as green space, he said. The plan also describes walkways around the green space which connect the residential and retail sections, he said.
Robert Ganz, the president of the library board, said that the library "supports the new urbanism" of the proposal, but that the project’s utility vehicle road passes behind the library’s literary garden. He and fellow board member Mary Sparano said that traffic on the road would ruin the tranquility of the garden. Ganz provided two pictures of the garden, with one current photo, and one touched up with trucks and cars to show what the area could look like if the project goes through.
"This is totally misleading," said planning board member Lindsay Childs. He and other board members said that weight limits are imposed in the town, and that semi-trucks would not be driving behind the library.

Board member Terry Coburn asked if the current chainlink fencing could be changed to privacy fencing. Ganz said that greenery is important and would be limited in an area shared by sidewalks and roadways.

Comfortable with concept
Project director Daniel O’Brien said that the plan before the planning board was the 14th amendment. He said that the number of parking spaces in the design are "bare minimum" for some retailers.
"I’m comfortable with the concept at this point," said Town Planner Jan Weston. She said that the designers still have a lot to do to get final town approval.
Board member Paul Caputo said, "Looking at this, I find myself feeling a little bit excited about it. What you’re trying to do here, I really like."

Planning board attorney Linda Clark said that, rather than have the board vote on the project, the chairman should poll the board.
"I’m comfortable," board member James Cohen said. "Legally, we’ve got to wait for the town board."

O’Brien told The Enterprise that the project is "at least a year" away from construction. Designers must still make changes to the project to meet town requirements, he said.

O’Brien and his wife, Lisa, who is the media spokeswoman for the project, told The Enterprise that the designers have had to offer a "high level of detail for concept approval."
"We really appreciate the amount of time all the groups have spent on the project," Daniel O’Brien said.

Grant Hill Road

The board gave unanimous concept approval to Frank Marotta’s proposal of a 14-lot clustered subdivision on Grant Hill Road. The zoning at the site recently changed from R40 to RA3, which calls for a minimum of three acres per lot. Marotta’s project has 12 lots on 41 acres.

Weston said that the plan reflected no effort to blend the neighborhood into the surrounding rural area. She described the present plan as a high-density suburban design.
"The road should provide some sort of meander," Feeney said. The plan needs "a little more thought into the layout [to have] a real lot with access to storm water in back, as opposed to cookie-cutter slamming it out," he said.

Engineer Mark Jacobson said that 67 percent of the land would be conserved.
"We are requesting a density bonus because of land conserved," he said.

Coburn said that the town law states that 13 lots on a cul-de-sac is the limit, and that allowing one more would set a precedent. Her comment received brief applause from the audience of neighbors of the proposed site. Coburn said that 13 lots is a safety issue with fire and rescue personnel.
"I don’t think 14 is way out of the ball park," Feeney said. "I think the design, itself, could be improved upon significantly." Feeney offered Jacobson an alternative sketch of the site.
He said that he was not telling him how to design the project. "I’m sure you can do something better [that is] a little bit more sensitive to the site," Feeney said. "Sight-distance is going to restrict you. I don’t think we’re looking for a straight-shot cul-de-sac. We’d like to see wetlands in common ownership."
Jacobson asked to have the number of lots approved, but the board told him that a storm-water plan and a soil analysis were still needed. "There’s no guarantee," Feeney said.

Board member Michael Cleary said that the board would not commit to allowing 14 lots, and that the developer did not want only 13.
"He wants us to say 14, and we’re not going to say 14. We’re going in circles," he said.
"I’m comfortable with the concept, but not the concept design," Feeney said.
Caputo, however, did not like the conservation area described in the plan. "People build pools. They build decks," he said. The conservation area needs to be delineated, Caputo said.

Coburn said that she could not remember the planning board ever approving a concept with a map that did not work. She said that Marotta must come back with a different map.

Other business

In other business, the board:

— Gave concept approval for the application by Frank Saluzzo to divide 6.1 acres on Frenchs Mill Road into two lots. Weston said that the road is straight and that there are no sight-distance problems with a new driveway.