We Have A Plan!

Sometime today, the Town of North Greenbush will receive by courier a copy of the Final Comprehensive Plan from Bergmann Associates. It is the result of two years of work and input from members of this community representing every election district.

For the first time, those wishing to develop in North Greenbush will have a document developed by members of the general public and community which tells them what we would like to see built and where it can be built.

There were numerous members of the working committee which helped produce this document. Over two years members come and go and each should be thanked for their input and concerns all of which brought North Greenbush to this day. Also Rensselaer County’s IDA, Robert Pasinella and county planner Linda VanDerHeidi were of enormous assistance. The County IDA provided all of the funding for the project, some $56,000 for the document created thus far and a pledge of additional funds to begin the process of redoing the zoning needed to implement the plan’s vision and land use recommendations. We will see if the town supervisor and his incoming majority will follow through or do nothing to complete the process. Also the Supervisor continues to refuse to sign documents related to the process.

Last Wednesday, the Committee met at town hall and reviewed numerous requests to make changes due to inaccuracies on maps, or questions arising from property owners seeking different land uses than those designated. They spent 4 hours listening and debating all the issues presented and made numerous changes as a result.

One change sure to be controversial is 4 and 43 opposite the mall under construction. The same developer owns the land and argued for a change to Regional Commercial which is the same as the mall side. The committee voted to make that change which runs contrary to the input and wishes of many from that area of town. This whould make the next Public Hearing interesting to say the least.

On December 12th, the Town Board will hold that Public Hearing on the changes made by the committee Wednesday evening. The following day they may choose to vote to approve or adopt the plan.

It is difficult to understand how any member of the town board could oppose this for North Greenbush. Yet the Town Supervisor has used numerous tactics in an effort to subvert the process from refusing to sign contracts, pay bills, phony claims of jobs for his adversaries and trying to stack the committee with unilateral appointments from his political base. Helping him all along the way was the Town Clerk who bungled a meeting notice and stirred up people with disinformation.

Now it is in the hands of a lame duck town board a majority which kept its promise and faith in the need for this plan and its benefit for the community. The document will be available on line at the town web site.