To the Editor:

The letter from Albany County legislator Jeff Perlee, waxing on about Guilderland town leadership seeking to preserve Altamont was an egregious misstatement of facts [“Altamont was a jewel of a village set off in a beautiful garden until the 1950s brought a countryfied version of suburban sprawl,” The Altamont Enterprise, April 7, 2025].

The Albany County Legislature, in which Perlee represents Altamont, just introduced county-wide legislation to endorse and broaden Guilderland leadership (which consists of Jacob Crawfiord, the Albany County Democratic Party Chair) approval to launch the Governor Kathy Hochul’s accessory dwelling unit plan in Guilderland.

The ADU initiative is not a granny flat as your paper pitched it and omitted the facts about downstate towns declining ADUs in a loud no for obvious overcrowding reasons while Guilderland said yes to accessory dwelling units that will severely harm all of Guilderland and with Perlee’s participation making sure Altamont becomes an overcrowded and unsafe community.

If Perlee were truly looking out for the Altamont community, he would go back to the drawing board and find better new-homeowner solutions. For example, why not model the NY’s 529 College Savings Program for first-time homeowners’ saving accounts? 

There is no reason to deprive quality of life in homeownership because a town or county cannot manage its spending, which is the heart of the ADU plan disguised as a goodwill housing idea. By adding to square footage of houses, they increase the tax base by depriving neighbors of front, side, and rear setbacks that were set up to protect quality of life.

For anyone confused about ADUs, come visit my house.

Christine Duffy

Guilderland