A lot has happened in Downtown Cobleskill over the past few months: façade rehabilitation, sidewalk improvements, a community plaza. However, in this Tuesday’s election town and village voters overwhelmingly rejected the candidates most closely associated with those achievements. In the village, Trustee Sandy MacKay lost badly to brutish developer Mark Nadeau. The even more brutish developer Mark Galasso was returned to the Board of Trustees with almost twice the votes of his own running mate.
In the town council race, Brian Kaiser, of Cobleskill Partnership, Inc., the group responsible for the façade improvement program this summer, didn’t even come close to winning a seat on Cobleskill’s town board. I won’t try to sugar coat this election by pointing out what appear to be democratic victories in the town supervisor races in Cobleskill and Richmondville. These victories should not distract Schoharie County progressives from the fact that something went terribly wrong in the election for village officials and the Cobleskill Town Board.
Both Brian Kaiser and Sandy MacKay have been tireless advocates of Downtown Cobleskill. Yet when voters were asked who should represent them, they selected a slate of candidates that in large part shares their vision for Cobleskill with trustee Bob LaPietra, a man who recently pled guilty to election fraud charges and was just sentenced (this week) to three years probation. So what the fuck happened?
To some extent at least, we can thank the Times Journal for this outcome. In the months leading up to the election, hardly a week went by without the T-J obsessively covering every belch, snort and scratch by Nadeau. Conspicuously absent from the T-J was any ribbon-cutting fanfare or even minimal coverage of the new Main Street sidewalks (overseen by MacKay) or even any serious consideration of MacKay’s idea on how becoming a city could net the village an additional two million dollars a year in sales tax revenue.
But the fact that Jim Poole consistently gets it wrong is old news, as is the fact that Mark Galasso has more than enough money to buy himself, Bob LaPietra and all his crooked friends as many elections as they could ever want. Voters still overwhelmingly chose the candidates with the self-serving big fish in a small pond mentality and thumbed their noses at the candidates with a real record of accomplishment in this community.
But it’s not about MacKay and Kaiser. Hopefully they will continue in their efforts to build a viable and dynamic Downtown Cobleskill. Unfortunately, they will probably be slapped down at every turn by this entering class of goons on the Village Board who will likely rubber stamp every nasty idea that Mark Galasso and Bob LaPietra pull out of their asses.
Voters may have endorsed the simple, straightforward and appealing message of Nadeau and his slate (expand the tax base and lower property taxes) but they arguably didn’t consider the record of these candidates, they didn’t consider the range of implications of the political coalition that now has a majority, and they didn’t consider the full breadth of the toll that unchecked big box development would have on our local economy and environment. Stay tuned to witness the consequences of an uninformed electorate.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Cobleskill Planning Board Should Think Twice on Stewarts Re-Zoning
Given the recent spate of ill-conceived and ugly projects to get the Village of Cobleskill Planning Board’s approval it should come as no surprise that the Village seems poised to sit back and allow yet another development that will change this community’s character and quality of life for the worse. This time, Village trustees and planning board members are scrambling to find a way around the existing village zoning ordinance to allow Stewarts Shops to expand its gas station to an adjacent parcel (the former restaurant at the corner of West Main Street and Harder Avenue).
The current village zoning code limits new gas stations to village gateway (vg) districts. Stewarts Shops on West Main Street is one of several gas stations in the village that are not located in a village gateway district and are operating as non-conforming uses. In order to expand, the zoning status of the parcels in question must be changed either by granting a variance (unlikely in this case), expansion of the village gateway district, amendment of the existing zoning classification or the creation of a new zoning classification altogether. Seemingly off the table, however, is the option of simply leaving the zoning ordinance in tact and rejecting the proposed project.
Unfortunately, this course of action is unlikely as village officials are understandably eager to see two long-vacant parcels put back on the tax roll. But economic development is not the only concern here. The Planning Board must ask the equally important question: Does this re-zoning serve the interests of the residents it is going to immediately affect?
If allowed, an expanded Stewart’s gas station will result in an intensification of vehicular traffic that will most certainly inconvenience and very possibly endanger residents of Harder Avenue, Bridge Street and West Main Street, not to mention SUNY students walking to and from Downtown Cobleskill. The increase in cars turning in and out of the gas station would render that side of West Main Street a virtual no man’s land for pedestrians. Even worse, this would force pedestrians to cross the street to avoid the traffic and walk on the opposite side of the street.
There are also sizable opportunity costs associated with this development. For example, if Stewarts expands it will preclude the much more desirable possibility of somebody local buying those adjacent parcels and opening a business that could better serve not only village residents but SUNY students who live close enough to walk there.
I hope the Planning Board examines these concerns before doing something stupid that could have long-term negative effects on this community.
Fact is, this could present even more issues to the West End of the village if, for example, the Planning Board proposes to extend the village gateway district to the Stewarts site. This could open up additional parcels to similarly intense and inappropriate development. Hopefully, the planning board and the VBOT will carefully consider the manner in which they gut the village zoning ordinance so as to avoid any collateral damage down the road.
Overdevelopment in the village in and of itself is not the issue here. My complaint is that rather than looking for an end-run around the village’s zoning ordinance to accommodate a gas station expansion that will ultimately encompass an entire block in a residential section of the village, officials should ask what impact this expansion will have on residents of the west end of the village, and maybe even what they would prefer to see developed there.
A vote for Mark Galasso and Mark Nadeau (both developers) was a vote for the exact opposite form of government. Instead we have a government that bends over backwards for developers but would charge residents a fee to file codes complaints against slumlords. Apparently Cobleskill voters agree that the village’s historic buildings should simply be trashed and replaced with drugstores and mega-gas stations on every corner and that village government should be used to protect slumlords. Or maybe they’re just not paying enough attention.
The current village zoning code limits new gas stations to village gateway (vg) districts. Stewarts Shops on West Main Street is one of several gas stations in the village that are not located in a village gateway district and are operating as non-conforming uses. In order to expand, the zoning status of the parcels in question must be changed either by granting a variance (unlikely in this case), expansion of the village gateway district, amendment of the existing zoning classification or the creation of a new zoning classification altogether. Seemingly off the table, however, is the option of simply leaving the zoning ordinance in tact and rejecting the proposed project.
Unfortunately, this course of action is unlikely as village officials are understandably eager to see two long-vacant parcels put back on the tax roll. But economic development is not the only concern here. The Planning Board must ask the equally important question: Does this re-zoning serve the interests of the residents it is going to immediately affect?
If allowed, an expanded Stewart’s gas station will result in an intensification of vehicular traffic that will most certainly inconvenience and very possibly endanger residents of Harder Avenue, Bridge Street and West Main Street, not to mention SUNY students walking to and from Downtown Cobleskill. The increase in cars turning in and out of the gas station would render that side of West Main Street a virtual no man’s land for pedestrians. Even worse, this would force pedestrians to cross the street to avoid the traffic and walk on the opposite side of the street.
There are also sizable opportunity costs associated with this development. For example, if Stewarts expands it will preclude the much more desirable possibility of somebody local buying those adjacent parcels and opening a business that could better serve not only village residents but SUNY students who live close enough to walk there.
I hope the Planning Board examines these concerns before doing something stupid that could have long-term negative effects on this community.
Fact is, this could present even more issues to the West End of the village if, for example, the Planning Board proposes to extend the village gateway district to the Stewarts site. This could open up additional parcels to similarly intense and inappropriate development. Hopefully, the planning board and the VBOT will carefully consider the manner in which they gut the village zoning ordinance so as to avoid any collateral damage down the road.
Overdevelopment in the village in and of itself is not the issue here. My complaint is that rather than looking for an end-run around the village’s zoning ordinance to accommodate a gas station expansion that will ultimately encompass an entire block in a residential section of the village, officials should ask what impact this expansion will have on residents of the west end of the village, and maybe even what they would prefer to see developed there.
A vote for Mark Galasso and Mark Nadeau (both developers) was a vote for the exact opposite form of government. Instead we have a government that bends over backwards for developers but would charge residents a fee to file codes complaints against slumlords. Apparently Cobleskill voters agree that the village’s historic buildings should simply be trashed and replaced with drugstores and mega-gas stations on every corner and that village government should be used to protect slumlords. Or maybe they’re just not paying enough attention.
From a taxpayer’s perspective, it’s a toxic asset
While one shouldn’t really expect much in the way of vision from a group of county planners and economic developers whose last best hope for the county was going after $90 million in federal stimulus money to build three new interstate exits, the dearth of ideas for dealing with the former Guilford Mills site is unfortunately even more depressing.
Here we have a building the IDA plainly does not know how to market, at least according to Ron “it’s too big” Filmer. We have dwindling support coming from the state for the Empire Zone program, and worst of all, we have a building that’s been rotting into the ground for almost ten years and, apparently, stripped for salvage.
Yet Schoharie County’s economic developer Jody Zakrevsky appears inexplicably optimistic about the buildings' prospects proclaiming that “from a marketing perspective, it’s an opportunity”. He’s obviously smokin’ the good shit. From my perspective, county taxpayers are now the proud owners of a multimillion dollar toxic asset.
In the best of times, marketing this basket case of a building would be a daunting challenge. In the bowels of this recession I would say the chances are slim to none. Yet the county seems poised to sink millions of dollars into this property without any chance of recouping any of it, let alone the back taxes owed on the building. The costs of bringing the buildings up to code, marketing the properties, and then massively subsidizing any potential investors will insure that taxpayers are climbing out of a seemingly bottomless financial hole on this building for the next 20 years, and that’s IF anyone (anyone who is actually qualified) is dumb enough to buy it.
All of this puts the county in an unenviable position. However, there has to be a way to deal with these properties that doesn't involve the county subsidizing another deadbeat who will only leave us holding the bag again.
Maybe some out-of-the-box thinking is in order. Let’s say there were to be an unfortunate explosion or fire on the premises and the entire building was destroyed and burned to the ground. The county could collect on the insurance and then market the site as developable acreage. You’d have a much better shot at selling that property to somebody interested in developing, I don’t know, townhouses or retail perhaps…
Such an occurrence would be terrible and tragic, but you have to admit, it would be convenient.
But I should be careful; sometimes thinking outside the box can constitute a felony. Not that that’s ever stopped certain Cobleskill trustees in the past.
Here we have a building the IDA plainly does not know how to market, at least according to Ron “it’s too big” Filmer. We have dwindling support coming from the state for the Empire Zone program, and worst of all, we have a building that’s been rotting into the ground for almost ten years and, apparently, stripped for salvage.
Yet Schoharie County’s economic developer Jody Zakrevsky appears inexplicably optimistic about the buildings' prospects proclaiming that “from a marketing perspective, it’s an opportunity”. He’s obviously smokin’ the good shit. From my perspective, county taxpayers are now the proud owners of a multimillion dollar toxic asset.
In the best of times, marketing this basket case of a building would be a daunting challenge. In the bowels of this recession I would say the chances are slim to none. Yet the county seems poised to sink millions of dollars into this property without any chance of recouping any of it, let alone the back taxes owed on the building. The costs of bringing the buildings up to code, marketing the properties, and then massively subsidizing any potential investors will insure that taxpayers are climbing out of a seemingly bottomless financial hole on this building for the next 20 years, and that’s IF anyone (anyone who is actually qualified) is dumb enough to buy it.
All of this puts the county in an unenviable position. However, there has to be a way to deal with these properties that doesn't involve the county subsidizing another deadbeat who will only leave us holding the bag again.
Maybe some out-of-the-box thinking is in order. Let’s say there were to be an unfortunate explosion or fire on the premises and the entire building was destroyed and burned to the ground. The county could collect on the insurance and then market the site as developable acreage. You’d have a much better shot at selling that property to somebody interested in developing, I don’t know, townhouses or retail perhaps…
Such an occurrence would be terrible and tragic, but you have to admit, it would be convenient.
But I should be careful; sometimes thinking outside the box can constitute a felony. Not that that’s ever stopped certain Cobleskill trustees in the past.
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