by Bea Peterson
Thirty people attended a Public Hearing Wednesday evening to share their opinions on the draft of the Town of Hoosick Land Use Law that is being proposed by the Committee that has been working on the regulations for the past year. Sessions to determine community reaction to the information compiled in the Law were held in Hoosick Falls, Buskirk, North Hoosick, Hoosick and West Hoosick.
Many spoke in favor of the Law and its guidelines on what can and cannot happen on their property and surrounding properties. Others felt that the Law just further eroded their civil liberties by dictating what they could and could not do on their property. Some viewed the Law as part of a plan for the entire area while others felt the Law was too stringent. Several wanted to see a simplification of forms to be filled out before requesting a permit. Many wanted to see the requirements in order to appear before the Planning Board more clearly defined so that months are not wasted in repeated visits to that Board because all the paperwork was not complete – a process compared to going to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Next Step
Points brought up at the meeting will be reviewed and, where possible, incorporated into the Land Use Law. The Law will then be presented to the Hoosick Town Board where it will again be reviewed. The Board can make changes to the Law, said Hoosick Town Supervisor Marilyn Douglas. When the Board is satisfied with the Law, the Town, nearby communities and the County will be notified. A public hearing on the Law will be held, after which the Board will vote to accept or reject the Land Use Law.
Committee members were asked for their opinion on the Law. Marianne Zwicklbauer, Gail Delurey, Ellen Scott and Jack Smith said they were in favor of it. Wally Sheffer, Sr. said he was in favor of it as it stood at the moment but didn’t know how he would feel if too many more changes were made to it. John Cooney said he was not in favor of it as he felt it was too restrictive. Principal Planner with Rensselaer County Economic Development Linda von der Heide and Marilyn Douglas, who have been a part of the entire process, did not comment.
Sheffer said that though he and the members of the Committee had spent countless hours working on the Law, he felt sorry for the members of the Town Board who would have to make the difficult final decision. Supervisor Douglas told the gathering she appreciated their civility regarding a difficult matter. “We all have our differences, but we have respected each other’s differences tonight,” she said. Her appreciative comment fell on deaf ears when one person threatened that they could all be voted out of office if the Law passed.