zoning

Obstructions to Stewart’s Shops building a new shop at its Altamont location continue to fall by the wayside, as the company receives once-already approved rezone requests and, more recently, the lawsuit that had brought the project to a halt was dropped. 

New York State has put into place tax exemptions to encourage development of renewable energy, which played out last week in Duanesburg, a rural Schenectady County town, that granted payments in lieu of taxes, or PILOTs, for two solar farms.

No matter where in the world she was, Lynne Bruning told The Enterprise, the farm in Duanesburg was always “such an anchor,” she said, “to have grown up in the house where my mother’s mother taught me how to sew and I would sleep under her mother’s quilt.” 

The zoning board will hold a public hearing Wednesday, Jan. 15 on how big the signs can be for WellNow, a new emergent-care facility set to open in McKownville. 

The grassroots organizations Guilderland Coalition for Responsible Growth, Save the Pine Bush, and the Rapp Road Historical Association have launched a GoFundMe drive to fund hiring their own, independent scientists to evaluate any studies provided by Pyramid in its DEIS. But as of Jan. 10, the group had raised just $2,925 of its $100,000 goal. 

TJA Clean Energy, which was planning to propose a solar farm in Berne that spans up to approximately 25 acres near the intersection of Switzkill and Canaday Hill roads, says that the town’s newly adopted industrial-scale solar-energy facility regulations “throw a wrench” in the development process. The town’s law restricts the size of solar facilities to 10 acres. ​

After deciding to put off making a decision until after the holidays, the Altamont Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a public hearing on Feb. 11 for Stewart’s Shops variance requests for its proposed Altamont Boulevard project.

The town supervisor said he will start involving the public soon, but that the form that involvement will take is not yet clear. 

Three grassroots groups — Save the Pine Bush, the Guilderland Coalition for Responsible Growth, and the Rapp Road Historical — are raising funds to hire experts that will help them challenge Pyramid’s plans for development.

Nearly a year after approving the rezone of 107-109 Helderberg Ave., the Altamont Village Board again voted to rezone the property last month, placing Stewart’s Shops back on the path to get the permission it needs from the village’s other boards to build a new store. This week, the company made variance requests of the zoning board. 

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