The 178-page document is a major upgrade from the comprehensive plan that the town created in 2015 but never codified.

On May 25, Guilderland Supervisor Peter Barber, on behalf of the town’s planning board; David Paget, attorney for Pyramid Management Group; and James Bacon, the attorney for the plaintiffs, each had 10 minutes to make their case to the appeals court judges. 

“There was much concern expressed regarding the original request to allow cigar and hookah smoking. After discussion with the owner [of Altamont Corners] Jeff Thomas, it has been decided to withdraw this portion of the Special Use Permit Request, as it would be inconsistent with his vision for the property and its patrons,” Curry Patta’s amended permit application states. 

First proposed in 2019, Spruce Plaza, a 1.82-acre site directly across Route 20 from Guilderland Town Hall, would be a mixed-use development consisting of professional offices, restaurants, and apartments.

Berne’s three new building inspectors will split the allotted time once used by James Bushnell, who resigned as Berne’s building inspector earlier this year, plus hours given up by Code Enforcement Officer Chance Townsend.

The proposed five-megawatt solar array on Dunnsville Road still has to be sent to the Altamont-Guilderland Referral Committee because proposals for town projects within 1,200 feet of the village boundary or within 1,200 feet of Altamont’s current or future water system must be referred to the village for a recommendation. 

An easement, negotiated with the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization that stewards natural lands in the Capital District, is designed to restrict development on the Carey Institute’s 100-acre campus, which is up for sale, but a local grassroots movement is seeking stricter terms.

The proposed five-megawatt solar array on Dunnsville Road still has to be sent to the Altamont-Guilderland Referral Committee because proposals for town projects within 1,200 feet of the village boundary or within 1,200 feet of Altamont’s current or future water system must be referred to the village for a recommendation. 

There had been discussion for some time about bringing the New Scotland Building Department, “essentially [into] the 21st Century, where we have more of a planner handling some of the planner duties. Because in our town, historically, with our zoning, the building inspector has handled all of these duties,” Councilman William Hennessy said.

Knox Planning Board Member Debra Nelson suddenly left a March meeting that she was attending remotely before she could cast her vote on whether to override the county planning board’s recommendation against a proposed solar facility.