GUILDERLAND — This month, Christopher Laviano completed another step towards getting a zoning change on his 1.14-acre property at 1854 Western Ave. in Westmere from Single-Family Residential to Local Business.

At a public hearing on Dec. 5, the only citizen who spoke was in favor of the proposal.

Robyn Gray, who chairs the Guilderland Committee for Responsible Growth, said she spoke for the committee when she told the town board, “Mr. Laviano is a local person from Guilderland. He has looked at the comprehensive plan. He has been to some of the meetings.

“What he is trying to do here is build something that conforms with that. Having a multi-use building such as what he is proposing is something that I think we should be supporting.”

Originally, Laviano had wanted to convert just the front half of the lot to Local Business, and build two houses in back, but he re-did the application to rezone the entire lot.

The parcel is located on the south side of Route 20 about 125 feet east of Venezio Avenue. The Albany County Planning Board reviewed the application in September and deferred to local judgment.

Laviano told the town board on Dec. 5 that his goal is to “preserve greenspace” on the residential side of the lot.

Laviano, who owns a liquor store across the street from the lot, said, “I actually have spoken to neighbors that have come into my store who live in that neighborhood, who also think that it’s a much better idea … This gives them at least a 40-foot buffer.”

The mixed-used building that he plans to construct on the lot, Laviano said, would be better for the community “than just throwing up a couple more houses.”

The town board plans to decide on environmental review and on passing a law for the new zoning early in the new year.

Laviano said it would be “probably years” before he builds “but I’d like to get the local law adopted.”

Supervisor Peter Barber cautioned, “I just want you to know local laws don’t live forever.” Usually, they are good for two or three years, he said.

Councilwoman Amanda Beedle said she had talked to residents in the neighborhood, “and they love the idea of keeping the trees there in that natural setting, not only just for a visual barrier but a sound barrier, [and to control] light disturbance.”

Councilwoman Christine Napierski said, “I like the idea of preserving the greenspace and a buffer between the residential neighborhood and Western Avenue. I am just curious, though, do you know what business you’re going to put in there?”

Laviano said he and his wife are expecting a second child in February and he didn’t think it would be his own business going in the yet-to-be-constructed building.

“I’m kind of tired,” he said.

Laviano said, in his real-estate business, “there’s a million calls about businesses wanting to come to this area …. I want to make sure the business is going to be the right fit.”

He said, as he was growing up, his mother owned a hair salon in town. “But I think we’re getting past that,” he said. “Something a little bit different would be nice.”

Other business

In other business at the Dec. 5 Guilderland Town Board meeting, the board:

— Presented many proclamations and heard many words of praise from federal, state, county, and local politicians for three long-time Guilderland leaders who are retiring at the end of the year: Justice John Bailey, Councilwoman Rosemary Centi, and Highway Superintendent Greg Weir;

— Agreed to convey the town’s interest in the original cul-de-sac at the end of Westmere Terrace and accept the dedication of the new cul-de-sac. The new cul-de-sac, which is 200 feet south of the original one, was built for a 222-unit complex of apartments and townhouses on Rapp Road near Gipp Road;

— Hired Nicholas Crodelle as a Guilderland Police officer to serve at Farnsworth Middle School. “This new position is funded in the 2024 budget,” Chief Daniel McNally wrote in a memo to the town board.

The Guilderland schools had originally had two school resource officers but that was cut back to one, stationed in the high school, due to budget constraints. In December 2022, the Guilderland School Board agreed to station an officer at Farnsworth as a pilot program;

— Scheduled a public hearing for 7 p.m. on Jan. 16, 2024, on a proposed local law that amends the town’s ethics code. The chairman of the ethics board, Robert Murphy, suggested the change in a memo to the board, saying that there has been “some difficulty” in getting a quorum — four out of seven members — to attend meetings.

The proposed law would reduce the membership to five and allow the town attorney to serve as a member if needed to make a quorum. The new law would also extend the number of consecutive terms a member could serve from two to three.

James Melita, the town’s attorney, said the ethics board typically meets “several times a year.” Barber noted that state law requires a quorum of three members for an ethics board;

— Authorized Barber to serve as Guilderland’s delegate to the Association of Towns 2024 meeting. Barber said the association is opposed to changing town elections from odd years to even years. He predicted the issue will be “contentious” as some want it to move to even years.

Another matter that will be taken up at the meeting, he said, is towns setting speed limits. The state legislature last year allowed towns to lower speed limits to 30 miles per hour but required a traffic study to do so, which Barber said is “very expensive.”

“So the proposed legislation that they’re hoping to adopt is to eliminate that requirement but also allow towns to go even lower, to 20 miles per hour,” he said.

Barber said he will poll Guilderland Town Board members for their views at their Jan 16 meeting and will cast his votes accordingly; and

— Scheduled the town’s reorganizational meeting for Thursday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. “I tried to give you guys a break,” Barber said, rather than scheduling the meeting, as is traditional, on New Year’s Day.