Board rejects his rezone request

ALTAMONT — Local businessman John Donato will not be able to convert his defunct bowling alley into apartments. In a split vote last Tuesday, the village board denied the zoning change.

Until Donato finds someone to buy or rent his former Altamont Lanes Bowling Center, or renovates the interior for a new business of his own, the larger portion of the building will remain vacant.

Donato sought a change of district classification for his bowling alley at 996 Altamont Boulevard, from B, general business, to R-10 M, residential multi-family. The board voted 4-1 against the change, with Trustee William Aylward being the only one in favor of Donato’s request.

A few years back, when business became stagnant, Donato was forced to close the bowling alley, he said. He has been trying for months to have the building rezoned so that he could convert it to apartments. He boarded up the outside with particle board this winter and spray painted messages calling for a rezone.

While the bowling alley is closed, there are two apartments in the building currently rented.

“It’s not over,” Donato told The Enterprise last week.

Mayor James Gaughan thinks that Donato has simply rejected any possible alternative use without even pursuing one. “I’m open to any legitimate and creative use of the building,” Gaughan told The Enterprise, “but all I’ve heard is, ‘I tried to sell it, I couldn’t sell it, and I don’t think it should be a restaurant.’”

“They’re doing what they want to do,” Donato said of the village board. “I’ve got a 9,000 square foot building, and they want a commercial use for it. There’s not even enough parking for a business. So what do I do with it?”

“I just don’t like the idea of changing it to a residential zone and losing any possibility of business,” Mayor Gaughan said. “I’m not convinced that he’s tried to make the most of the building.”

Points were made on both sides of the argument last Tuesday night. Some residents feel that Donato’s request flies in the face of the village’s recently adopted comprehensive plan and its goal to enhance the business district. Others feel that one simple truth is being ignored: There is no business with any desire to move into the former Altamont Lanes Bowling Center.

Last Tuesday, the majority was leaning towards the latter. However, three previous public hearings on the matter of rezoning to R-10M saw villagers denying the need for more multi-family dwellings.

At this latest meeting, some villagers expressed points of view similar to those heard at past hearings, opposing Donato’s desire to rezone.

Lois Ginsburg of Euclid Avenue is worried that granting Donato’s request “might set a precedent for spot-zoning in the future.”

Stephen Parachini of Indian Maiden Pass objected as well. “One of the objectives of [the comprehensive] plan is to maintain and enhance the business district,” he said. “I think taking something from the business district – so it’s no longer business – does not meet that objective.” Other villagers echoed concerns that deviating from the so-called “master plan” could lead to trouble.

Earlier in the hearing, though, Donato’s attorney, Paul Wein, was the first to approach the microphone. He thanked the board for voting to hold the public hearing, and apologized on behalf of Donato. “He’s done a couple things in the past that may have antagonized some folks, and I just want you to understand that it’s been out of frustration,” Wein said of Donato. “He’s in a sinking ship and he’s looking for life preservers, and he’s not seeing any.”

Wein went on to recognize that a great deal of time was put into developing the new comprehensive plan. But, while he understands the board’s hesitance in wanting to make changes to that plan, he said that they are treating the plan as if it’s infallible. “Plans can be improved…they can be tweaked,” he said.

Wein also pointed out that the property has been available for sale or rent for nearly eight years. “There have been two minor inquiries that went nowhere. Other than that, there’s been absolutely no commercial interest in this property whatsoever,” he said.

“Look at the next-door neighbor,” Wein added, referring to the Altamont Corners, owned by local developer Jeff Thomas, whom Wein has also represented. “If this [building] had commercial viability, I would assume that Thomas would have expressed some interest in it. He’s not been the least bit interested.”

“I’ve been involved with the property for at least a year,” added Troy Miller, owner of CM Fox Real Estate. “I’ve probably shown it…five to eight times, and we always end up back at the same spot.”

Donato will probably try to sell the building at around $400,000, he said this week. Miller, however, feels that the less-than-$50-per-square-foot price tag is unreasonable for Donato.

“The challenge is to get something there that can generate the income for a reasonable return to, in this case, John.”  Miller said that a bowling alley can be a “neat place to go to, but the reality is, making a living off six or eight lanes is difficult.” The price of converting the bowling alley into some other kind of facility was not financially feasible for Donato, Miller said.

Wein added that, since most people now shop either online or at big-box stores, it is difficult to find any commercial entity that wants to move in there. “Well, maybe you could put a restaurant in there,” Wein went on. “Can the village support two restaurants? Maybe that restaurant would be a success, but it would cause the other one to fail. There aren’t commercial entities knocking on the door. It’s just not viable.” Wein thinks a rezone is the only way to keep that property from going under.

Later, the board heard from Jerry Large of Altamont Boulevard, former lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps. He said he helped write the Iraqi security strategy, and that he knows about planning. He thinks that the comprehensive plan is flawed for several reasons.

“On that side of the road…it’s residential areas,” Large said. “In reality, Altamont’s not a massive business [village]. Hilltown Pizza, Paisano’s Pizza, there’s one survivor. Subway, Hungerford Market, there’s probably going to be one survivor.” At the end of the day, the board is simply denying Donato the ability to thrive, in a community where he’s done “a lot of great work,” said Large.

Furthermore, Large said that, if Donato were given the chance to convert his building into apartments, it would be “renovated to perfection,” and would be attractive to those who seek living space in the area.

Dorothy Taber has lived on Altamont Boulevard for over 50 years, and has seen the level of business on her street deteriorate to nothing. “I’ve seen many businesses come and go over the years,” she said, “there’s not one existing business on Altamont Boulevard.”

In support of Donato’s desire to rezone, Taber presented a petition that read: “We the undersigned believe that John Donato should be allowed to convert the bowling alley building at Altamont Boulevard into apartments, and the area be rezoned to allow this.”

In two days, she got 50 signatures.

“I also talked to five of his tenants, and they all told me what a wonderful landlord he was,” Taber said. “He was at their beck and call. Whenever they needed him, he was there.”

Taber was applauded upon returning to her seat.

Before voting, the board stated their views.

Trustee Kerry Dineen pointed out that Altamont has a higher percentage of multi-family housing than Voorheesville and Delmar, both larger municipalities than Altamont. “And actually, the percentage was so close to the Guilderland percentage; considering their size, we probably surpass them as well, as far as availability of apartments and multi-family dwellings,” Dineen said. Furthermore, she feels that, contrary to the opinion of some villagers, businesses can succeed in Altamont.

On the other hand, Trustee Aylward felt Donato’s request was reasonable. “Location, location, location is the whole story, is it not? he asked.” He thinks, in short, that the building is not appropriately located for commercial use.

“We don’t want a derelict property,” Aylward continued. “This is a property that has not seen activity for a while, and therefore it can be useful. If we rezone it, we are putting people in that location who can then go into the center of the village and spend money. I think that’s a good idea,” he said.

“A lot of you talked in support of Mr. Donato as being a really good guy and making an effort to make the business succeed and doing good work,” said Trustee Christine Marshall. “But really, the decision that we have to make is not based on whether Mr. Donato is a good person or not. It really goes beyond that to the broader community.”

Donato is unsure of what to do next. “I guess I’ll put it back on the market for a while,” he said. “If that doesn’t work, maybe I’ll tear it down and put a car wash there.”

The current zoning for the building allows for use as a car wash, said Donato. “I mean the building’s paid for, so I guess it won’t hurt to tear it down and put a car wash there. Why not? They can’t stop me from making a living if it’s in the zoning, right?”