The Rapp Road Historical Association Shabuta Mississippi to the Albany Pine Bush
ALBANY, NY: Save the Pine Bush had a superb panel to mark the 90th birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Those who attended the January 16 dinner will not forget the great presentation made by Anne Pope, Rev. Clarence Samuel Johnson, and Stephanie Woodward about life in Shubuta, Mississippi and Albany. Ms. Pope began jokingly saying, “My name is Annie Mae Pope but don’t you tell anyone.” She said she grew up in Shubuta, Mississippi, population 600. Often on Saturdays,…
Historic Rapp Road Community
by Tom Ellis Beverly Bardequez of the historic Rapp Road Community, who spoke at the January 2012 SPB dinner about how the African-American neighborhood on Rapp Road came to be, was the featured speaker at the May 15, 2013 dinner at which she discussed the latest threats to the community. She thanked SPB “who has the Pine Bush at heart.” She said that as a child, when she lived on Pine Lane, and played where the Walmart is now, she…
Historic Rapp Road Community— An Update
We continually remember before Our GOD and Father Your Work produced by Faith Your Labor prompted by Love, and Your Endurance Inspired by Hope in Our LORD JESUS CHRIST. 1 Thessalonians 1:3 Our ancestors lived by this scripture and put it to use in daily life. They believed that Hope and ultimately Faith produced Endurance and Perseverance. They left oppression, poverty and racism behind in the South with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. The meager earnings they…
1 Rapp Road, Extension Development
By Andy Arthur and Grace Nichols We went to Albany Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) Meeting on Feb. 27, 2013 to comment on the proposed extension of the 1 Rapp Road, which is at the corner of South Frontage Road and Rapp Road. The proposal would add a one floor expansion on to the back of 1 Rapp Road, building in the adjoining area between 1 Rapp Road and 5 Rapp Road. The proposal would also add 12 parking spots,…
Save the Pine Bush Comments on the Rapp Road Residential/Western Avenue Mixed used DEIS
Christopher M. Walker, Legal Intern for the The Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic wrote comments for the proposed project. Here is an excerpt from his comments sent to the Guilderland Planning Board. You can view the complete comments and the appendicies online at: http://www.savethepinebush.org/Cases/Crossgates_Expansion/index.html The Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic submits the following comments on behalf of our client, Save the Pine Bush, in response to the proposed Draft Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) on the Rapp Road Residential/Western Avenue Mixed Use Redevelopment…
www.rapproadgofundme.org
Rapp Road Costco and Town of Guilderland State Appellate HearingLivestream
Dear All, Please note: Tuesday, May 25, 2021 – 1:00pm Rapp Road Costco and Town of Guilderland State Appellate HearingLivestream: http://wowza.nycourts.gov/ad3/ad3.php Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 25, the oral argument for the case of Hart v Town of Guilderland, will be heard. This is the case involving the proposed Costco, apartments and office building in the Pine Bush along Rapp Road. New counsel has been retained by Pyramid Cos. with Guilderland Supervisor Peter Barber representing the Town of Guilderland. The Guilderland Coalition for Responsible Growth has more information…
New Light on an Old Road – Part II
New Light on an Old Road – Part II New Light on an Old Road – Part II (Continued from March/April 1998 Newsletter) by John Wolcott The new information revealed by this almost destroyed map, about old trails and roads in the Pine Bush is utterly amazing and startling. I had already known that part of the "Old Road to Schenectady" left Albany by a route up near Madison Avenue, and that it went over the UytKyck off Curry Road….
Roads in the Pine Bush – John Poorman Speaks about the CDTC
by Rezsin Adams ALBANY: According to Daniel Bogan, who spoke at the Save the Pine Bush dinner on November 10, the challenge today to wildlife is urban sprawl, which results in habitat loss and increased interaction between animals and humans. New York State was originally covered with forests but in the 1800’s the forests were cut down. Although regeneration has occurred, wolves and mountain lions were a threat to farming and were driven out of the state. Coyotes exploited this…
Dump expansion rapped
ALBANY — If the crowd at the Polish Community Center on Wednesday ran the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany would not get permission to expand its Rapp Road dump in the environmentally-sensitive Pine Bush Preserve. Several hundred people packed the DEC hearing on the city’s request, with loudest applause going to dump opponents, like Colonie Village Mayor Frank Leak. "Given the city’s history of operating problems, and the lack of motivation toward solving those problems, if this request is…
Roads in the Pine Bush – John Poorman Speaks about the CDTC
by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: John Poorman, Executive Director of the Capital District Regional Planning Commission spoke at the July SPB vegetarian/vegan lasagna dinner. Mr. Poorman began by describing what the Capital District Regional Planning Commission (CDTC) is. The CDTC is the designated “Metropolitan Planning Organization” (MPO) for four counties, Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady. Under federal law, the CDTC’s responsibilities are to provide a forum to discuss transportation needs and develop transportation plans in the context of social, economic and…
Two Times Union Articles on the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission
Landfill plans clear a hurdle Pine Bush panel OKs test wells in preserve; McEneny blocks bill approving expansion By *MATT PACENZA*, Staff writer First published: Friday, June 23, 2006 ALBANY — The city received permission Thursday to begin digging test wells in the Pine Bush — a first step toward a possible and controversial expansion of the Rapp Road dump into the nature preserve. Nearly simultaneously, however, the city’s plan was dealt a blow when state Assemblyman John "Jack" McEneny,…
Verified Petition, Januar 17, 2006
STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF ALBANY SUPREME COURT _________________________________________________ In the Matter of the Application of SAVE THE PINE BUSH, INC., REZSIN ADAMS, SANDRA CAMP, SHARON CASTERLIN, LUCY CLARK, LYNNE JACKSON, MARTHA MASTERS JOHN WOLCOTT, PETER VAN NOSTRAND and RUSSELL ZIEMBA, Case No. 1 VERIFIED PETITION Petitioners, Index No. for judgment pursuant to Article 78 of the CPLR RJI No. -against- …
Save the Pine Bush Comments on Proposed Hotel
written by Lynne Jackson << Previous Begin Next>> Read the Developer’s outrageous response to this issue that says "walking or bicycling . . . should be discouraged." Public Health Issues The Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Residence Inn says the following about bicycle and pedestrian access: d. Bicycle Access – Page 19 “There is no convenient bicycle access to the site through the use of dedicated or shared bicycle lands. The Applicant does not anticipate either employees or…
No dump in the Pine Bush!
ALBANY — The city wants to expand its rapidly filling dump onto 10 acres it had already dedicated to the Pine Bush Preserve. "We hope that people would be reasonable and know what we are up against," Mayor Jerry Jennings told the Times Union editorial board on Wednesday. "I know some people are going to fight us on this." During his State of the City address last week, Jennings said the city wants to expand the Rapp Road facility near…
Albany landfill deal has a funny odor
Like a junkie in need of a fi x — in this case the addiction is cash — Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings will stop at nothing in his quest to get yet another lease on life at the city’s Rapp Road landfill. Never mind that Jennings has been told more than once to forget it by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which recognizes the ecological significance of the land he wants for his landfill expansion — 12.6 acres of…
Memorandum of Law, January 17, 2006
STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF ALBANY SUPREME COURT _________________________________________________ In the Matter of the Application of SAVE THE PINE BUSH, INC., REZSIN ADAMS, SANDRA CAMP, SHARON CASTERLIN, LUCY CLARK, LYNNE JACKSON, MARTHA MASTERS JOHN WOLCOTT, PETER VAN NOSTRAND and RUSSELL ZIEMBA, Case No. 1 Petitioners, Index No. for judgment pursuant to Article 78 of the CPLR RJI No. -against- …
No dump in the Pine Bush!
For Immediate Release: January 25, 2006 For Further Information, contact Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY — Mayor Jennings’ new landfill proposal is just as bad as his last proposal, only his new proposal may mean the end of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. Mayor Jennings proposes to take 10 acres from the forever wild Albany Pine Bush Preserve and turn it into the landfill. “Land dedicated to the Preserve is forever wild, which means forever wild. Taking land from the Preserve…
John Wolcott, passionate advocate for Albany Pine Bush, dies
A founding member of Save the Pine Bush in 1978, Wolcott was a month shy of his 91st birthday when he passed away Thursday ALBANY — John Wolcott, a passionate long-time defender of preserving the Pine Bush ecosystem, self-proclaimed Albany historian, and thorn in the side of developers and government officials for decades, died this past week. Wolcott, a founding member of Save the Pine Bush in 1978, was a month shy of his 91st birthday when he passed away…
Save the Pine Bush Update and the War on Terror
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Lynne Jackson spoke about current developments in the Pine Bush and Steve Downs about The War on Terror – Twenty Years Later, at the February 23 Save the Pine Bush virtual meeting. After thanking SPB members for their financial contributions to assist one of SPB’s dinner chefs, Adam Baldwin, with his sudden medical bills, Lynne thanked Andy Arthur for creating an on-line “event sweeper” that quickly identifies proposed projects in the pine barrens sections of…
Altamont Enterprise: Appeal heard in second suit filed against Guilderland, Pyramid
From the Altamont Enterprise on Thursday, March 24, 2022 – 19:03 GUILDERLAND — A panel of five appellate court judges this week heard arguments in the second lawsuit to land in their laps over Pyramid’s proposed Rapp Road and Western Avenue projects. Save the Pine Bush filed its suit in November 2020 based on the Guilderland Planning Board’s adoption of a findings statement for Pyramid’s proposed 222-unit residential development and Costco Wholesale store in addition to the site-plan approval given…
SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 2000s
2020s 🦋 2010s 🦋 2000s 🦋 1990s Search Newsletter Archives: 2009 🦋 2008 🦋 2007 🦋 2006 🦋 2005 🦋 2004 🦋 2003 🦋 2002 🦋 2001 🦋 2000 2009 October/November 2009 – Download printable PDF version Bringing Back Sustainable Karner Blue Populations, October/November, 2009 September Biogas Talk, October/November, 2009 Buckmoth Monitoring, October/November, 2009 Neither a Borrower or a Lender Be, October/November, 2009 Pesticide Reductions Won at Albany Common Council – We can fight City Hall and Win!, October/November, 2009…
SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 2010s
2020s 🦋 2010s 🦋 2000s 🦋 1990s Search Newsletter Archives: 2019 🦋 2018 🦋 2017 🦋 2016 🦋 2015 🦋 2014 🦋 2013 🦋 2012 🦋 2011 🦋 2010 2019 Newsletter 🦋 December/January 2019-20 Newsletter Download printable PDF version Listen to the Podcasts Merton Simpson — Fighting Environmental Racial Injustice, December/January 2019 Air Pollution in Albany’s South End, December/January 2019 Dunn Landfill — Stinks Up the School; Parents and Residents Protest, December/January 2019 Proposals in the Pine Bush December/January 2019…
Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic Defends the Pine Bush
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Todd Ommen and Robert O’Connor of the Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic (PELC) made a joint zoom presentation at the June 16th Save the Pine Bush dinner. Lynne Jackson hosted the event. Mr. Ommen led off. He is the PELC managing attorney and supervises interns. He began practicing environmental law in 2007, joined PELC in 2016, after prior corporate litigation and a stint with the NY Attorney General. He said there was little environmental law in…
Proposed Crossgates Development
GUILDERLAND, NY: Rapp Road Development, a corporate entity of Pyramid/Crossgates, is proposing to build on about 46 acres of land. Originally, the proposal was to build 222 apartments on 20 acres of land adjacent to the Pine Bush preserve. After the Town Planning Board appointed themselves the lead agency, the project was exapanded to include a proposed Costco and an undefined commercial/residential development on an additional 26 acres of land. The proposal is huge. To put this proposed development in…
Guilderland and Pyramid look for second suit, filed by Save the Pine Bush, to be dismissed
Guilderland and Pyramid look for second suit, filed by Save the Pine Bush, to be dismissed Monday, August 2, 2021 – 19:13 Enterprise file photo — Michael Koff The not-for-profit group Save The Pine Bush, in November 2020, celebrated when Westmere residents won a lawsuit (which was recently overturned) that stopped construction of two Pyramid projects. GUILDERLAND — With one win in hand, the town and Pyramid are looking to run up the score, asking the judge in a second lawsuit…
Town of Colonie Planning Board
Whereas, the applications and permitting to construct and operate an expansion of the City’s existing landfill located on Rapp Road in the City of Albany, together with mitigation related to the expansion, referred to as Eastern Expansion, is before the Common Council for deliberation; and Whereas, since 1990 there have been multiple expansions of the Rapp Road landfill, duly requiring the Common Council to approve certain financings, permitting and other actions attendant to these expansions to support construction and mitigation;…
Development in Albany Pine Bush – 2010 to 2020
Albany County Tax records show that 253 acres of Pine Bush were forever lost to development between 2010 and 2020. Acres in Study Area Acres Developed with a Building * % Acres Preserved ** % Acres Undeveloped or Used for Highways / Landfill *** % 13,005 5,723 44.0% 3,317 25.5% 3,965 30.5% * Acres developed does not include highways or other developments that do not contain buildings. ** Albany Pine Bush Commission managed lands *** County tax parcels that do…
Just Say No to the Bridge!
The Village of Colonie is proposing to build a bridge in the Pine Bush over the Rapp Road/Lincoln Avenue railroad tracks. To allow for high-speed rail, all Òat gradeÓ crossings over railroad tracks are to be eliminated. The Village wants to eliminate the Rapp Road/Lincoln Avenue crossing by building a bridge. Save the Pine Bush knows a much better, much less expensive way: dead-end the road on either side of the railroad track. This would save about $3.5 million taxpayer…
Appeals court in Guilderland-Pyramid lawsuit allows case to cut the line – Altamont Enterprise
Monday, February 15, 2021 – 19:52 – Altamont Enterprise GUILDERLAND — The judge overseeing the town of Guilderland and Pyramid Management Group’s appeal to reverse a lower court’s decision that stopped construction of the company’s Rapp Road and Western Avenue projects has agreed to a request for “an expedited briefing schedule on this appeal.” The order from Justice Christine M. Clark of the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department means that both sides are to have all of…
PAUSE – Zero Waste
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (APBPC or Commission) Conservation Director Neil Gifford spoke at SPB’s June 19 dinner about the ongoing work of the the Com- mission and the proposed Pyramid Crossgates 222-unit apartment development on Rapp Road inGuilderland. He began saying that “in no small part do we [the Commission] owe our existence” to the work of Save the Pine Bush. At it’s best, he said the Pine Bush is a savanna with some…
Neil Gifford – Good News about the Pine Bush
by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: “I would not be standing here without the work Save the Pine Bush has done to hold people accountable,” said Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (APBPC or commission) Director Neil Gifford, as he began his presentation at the May 18 SPB dinner. Neil spoke at length about the Karner Blue Butterfly (KBB). Lynne Jackson introduced him saying APBPC sustains the Pine Bush and Neil has been with the commission for 19 years. Neil said the…
NYS Climate Action Council
Dear Common Councilmembers: Thank you for again hearing our concerns about the need for good ecological and scientific review of the Pine Bush Mitigation/Restoration plan. There are many problems with the plan. Save the Pine Bush has presented many concerns to this body regarding the ecological impacts and financial waste involved in this mitigation plan. First, I want to make sure you have adequate information regarding the pesticides approved in the Integrated Pest Management plan. The list is made up…
Community Compost Initiative A weekly compost pick-up service
by Tom Ellis Throwing food waste into landfills creates greenhouse gases, which significantly contribute to global warming and takes up space in Albany’s Rapp Road landfill. Since Albany’s landfill was built in protected Pine Bush habitat, this is an especial problem. If you live in the City of Albany, you can reduce greenhouse gases and divert waste from Albany’s overburdened landfill, while at the same time supporting a local non-profit and ecologically regenerative micro-industry, by joining the Radix Center’s Community…
Nature preservers For 30 years, Save the Pine Bush has fought for ancient barrens
Albany — A blizzard howled on the evening of Feb. 6, 1978, when a shrinking remnant from the last Ice Age faced the prospect of the bulldozer. Anyone who cared that land in the Pine Bush — glacially created sand dunes and pitch pines at the city’s western edge — was slated for an office building would have to brave the storm to complain at the sole city hearing on the issue. The storm was so bad that the state…
Nabokov’s Blues
Nabokov’s Blues Save the Pine Bush Sues City of Albany and Department of Environmental Conservation Over Illegal Landfill in the Pine Bush ALBANY, NY: Save the Pine Bush filed suit against the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the City of Albany over the permit approval for the City of Albany P-4 landfill expansion on Rapp Road. Save the Pine Bush is suing on the grounds that the permit approval was illegal because the authority to grant a…
Proposed Landfill Expansion a Collision of Factors
ALBANY — Those squiggly compact fluorescent light bulbs are being touted as an easy solution to save energy and fight global warming. But there are drawbacks: The bulbs contain toxic mercury, and so far there is no easy way to recycle them. In the Capital Region, homeowners are being encouraged to keep burned-out CFL bulbs until local hazardous waste recycling days, although state law allows homeowners to throw bulbs into the regular trash. "If a resident calls me now, I…
Walk, Hike, and Bike the Pine Bush
Walk, Hike, and Bike the Pine Bush Walk, Hike, and Bike the Pine Bush The Pine Bush is a beautiful place to walk. The soft, rolling sand dunes are a walker’s dream. You can take a bus to the Pine Bush from downtown Albany. The Pine Bush is the perfect spot for outdoor activities. Save the Pine Bush sponsors walks almost every month of the year. Join us! – Ed. Announcing Albany’s Newest Bicycle Path by Jerry Mueller, Mar./Apr. 91…
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Politics and Garbage – That Sweet Smell Politics and Garbage That Sweet Smell By Daniel Van Riper A Bigger Dump Believe it or not, Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings wants to expand the City Dump in the Pine Bush on Rapp Road. He’s given up on the idea of throwing the city’s trash onto a farm down in Coeymans and wants to take another 15 to 20 acres out of the Pine Bush and make a new garbage pile. More…
Guilderland CandidatesNight At SPB
Guilderland CandidatesNight At SPB Guilderland Candidates Night At SPB by Lynne Jackson Candidates for Town Supervisor and Town Board members spoke at the October Save the Pine Bush dinner. Attending were Bill Aylward, Democratic candidate for Town Supervisor; David Bosworth and Cheryl Reul, Democratic candidates for Town Board; and Paul Caputo, Independence Party candidate for Town Board. Lauren Ayers had hoped to attend, but could not due to a family emergency. The other Independence Party candidates, Anne Rose and Tim…
Waste-to-Energy One Solution to the Garbage Issue
ALBANY, NY — Mayor Jennings’ new landfill proposal is just as bad as his last proposal, only his new proposal may mean the end of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. Mayor Jennings proposes to take 10 acres from the forever wild Albany Pine Bush Preserve and turn it into the landfill. “Land dedicated to the Preserve is forever wild, which means forever wild. Taking land from the Preserve for a dump sets a terrible precedent. Who is to say that…
Write to the Town of Guilderland Planning Board
Name of the project: Rapp Road Residential/Western Avenue Mixed Use Redevelopment Projects Email comments to: Kenneth Kovalchik, Town Planner, Kovalchikk@togny.org The Town of Guilderland Planning Board should reject the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed development by Pyramid (Crossgates) to build massive apartment complexes, office space and expansive retail on Rapp Road, the Mall Road and Western Avenue. This proposed development includes a Costco with 700 car parking lot and a gas station. The Town of Guilderland Planning…
Buffer is Essential to Protect Pine Bush
I am writing in opposition to the draft environmental impact statement filed by Rapp Road Development Corporation, a pseudonym for Pyramid LLC, the owner of Crossgates Mall, which was filed to develop 47 acres of pine bush into a variety of projects such as a gas station built in sand over an aquifer. The level of development proposed is dense, inappropriate to the area, and also bent on increasing traffic in a congested area; designed to create noise pollution in…
Pyramid Submits the Draft Environmental Impact Statement
GUILDERLAND, NY: On Christmas Eve, Pyramid Crossgates submitted the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for their project, “Rapp Road Residential /Western Avenue Mixed Use Redevelopment Projects.” When first brought before the Town of Guilderland Planning Board in late 2018, the project consisted of building 222-unit apartment complex on Rapp Road. The project has morphed into 312-unit apartment complex on Rapp Road, a CostCo complete with a gas station plus other commercial development. According to the NY State Environmental Quality Review…
Save the Pine Bush Sues Albany Common Council Over Illegal Office Complex
Save the Pine Bush Sues Albany Common Council Over Illegal Office Complex Save the Pine Bush Sues Albany Common Council Over Illegal Office Complex by Lynne Jackson Save the Pine Bush filed suit on July 12 in New York State Supreme Court over the City of Albany Common Council’s approval of the Drumlin Fields office complex in the Pine Bush. “The Albany Common Council completely ignored the state-authorized Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission’s recommendation for full protection of this…
Oppose Drumlin Fields Office Complex
Oppose Drumlin Fields Office Complex Oppose Drumlin Fields Office Complex Five Minutes to Help Save the Pine Bush No matter where you live, please, call an Alderman about Drumlin Fields by Lynne Jackson Drumlin Fields is a proposed office complex to be built on both sides of Rapp Road in the Pine Bush. Bordered on the north and east by Six Mile Waterworks, this 46 acre development would effectively cut-off Six Mile Waterworks ecologically from the remaining preserve. Ice…
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Draft Environmental Impact Statement DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT for Avila House Independent Senior Campus Lead Agency: City of Albany Planning Board 21 Lodge Street, Albany, New York 12207 Contact: Nicholas Dilello (518) 434-2532 ext. 28 Project Sponsor: First Colun1bia, LLC 26 Century Hill Drive Latham, New York 12110-2128, (518) 213-1000 Report Contributors: Hershberg and Hershberg 40 Colvin Avenue Albany, New York 12206 Responsible for "Pine Bush" Contact: Daniel Hershherg (518) 459-3096 Transportation Concepts, LLP 152…
Proposals for Paving the Pine Bush Come Fast and Furiously
Proposals for Paving the Pine Bush Come Fast and Furiously Proposals for Paving the Pine Bush Come Fast and Furiously Guilderland, Albany consider destroying Full Protection Areas Guilderland, Feeney and Ford: Town of Guilderland Planning Board officials heard a preliminary proposal to destroy 103 acres of Pine Bush by allowing 30 plush, expensive houses to be built on land owned by Feeney and Ford. This land is adjacent to and just west of the State Preserve. The Albany Pine Bush…
Crossgates Expansion
Name of the project: Rapp Road Residential/Western Avenue Mixed Use Redevelopment Projects Here is the Draft Environmental Impact Statement website at the Town of Guilderland: https://www.townofguilderland.org/planning-board/pages/environmental-impact-statement-rapp-road-residentialwestern-avenue-mixed-use Save the Pine Bush’s comments on the DEIS Here are Save the Pine Bush’s comments written by Christopher M. Walker, , Legal Intern appearing pursuant to the Practice Order of Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic, Inc. Download all the documents in a zipped file. Save the Pine Bush Comment Appendix A Dr. Stager Appendix B Zamurs…