Save the Pine Bush

written by Lynne Jackson << Previous Begin Next>> Creation of a Viable Preserve The Applicant in the DEIS, goes to great lengths to show that a 2,000 acre fire-manageable Preserve has been attained. However, since the court cases listed by the Applicant, scientific research has shown that a viable preserve must be much larger than originally thought. The Albany Pine Bush Commission’s goal for a viable Preserve, based on scientific research, is set at 4,610 acres, much more than the…

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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-                                             …

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written by Lynne Jackson << Previous Begin Next>> Water Resources On Page 17 of the DEIS, the Applicant states that the Pine Bush aquifer is not a potential source of municipal water. This is not correct. The Pine Bush is on top of a principle aquifer. A principal aquifer is one that has enough volume and flow to be used as a municipal water supply. The Pine Bush Formation (as the aquifer under the Pine Bush is called) was designated…

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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…

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written by Lynne Jackson << Previous Begin Next>> Karner Blue Habitat First, the Common Council should not accept this DEIS until the Common Council determines what the City of Albany’s policy is on extinction of species. The City of Albany should clearly outline its policy on extinction of species, including whether or not it values protecting species in danger of extinction. Because the entire site is within 200 meters of an occupied Karner Blue butterfly habitat, it must be considered…

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Seventy- five houses are proposed for this site, the last parcel of the largest roadless area in the Pine bush. Three parcels make up the western section of the largest roadless area, the DeCaprio Farm site, the site of the proposed Lone Pine 7 housing development, and this 100 acre site. Located south of East Lydius Street and north of Old State Road, this area is approximately 250 acres along the Hungerkill valley and is not bisected by any roads….

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Back Below is the proposed site of the Residence Inn proposed to be built on Washington Avenue Ext. Crossgates parking lot and building can be seen at the top of the photo Patch of trees on the left were illegally bulldozed by Crossgates in 1998 and is now flattened land. The Residence Inn is proposed for this area. The Karner Blue Butterfly Hill is the patch of trees on the right. The Niagara-Mohawk Power Right-of-Way is between the Butterfly Hill…

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                                                Introduced  by  COMMITTEE  ON  RULES — (at request of M. of A. McEneny,           Canestrari) — read once and referred to the Committee on Cities         AN ACT authorizing the city  of  Albany  to  repeal  the  dedication  of           certain  lands to the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission and author-           izing the city of Albany to utilize such lands for other than preserve           purposes           The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate…

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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,…

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<< Previous Begin Next>> Note: The "Comment" is the developer’s summary of the public input, the Response is what the developer says in response. Comment 4: Commentor indicated that walking is a dangerous mode of transportation. No sidewalks are proposed. Employees will not be able to walk to work or use mass transit. Customers will not be able to walk or bicycle to the nano-tech facilities. Because customers and employees will need to use vehicles, their risk of being involved…

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written by Lynne Jackson << Previous Begin Next>> Financial & Economic Impacts Employment: The DEIS fails to identify all of the financial impacts of the proposed development. The DEIS indicates there will be both full and part-time employees, but does not show how much the employees will be paid. If employees are paid minimum wage, and given no health insurance benefits, it is possible that the employees may be eligible for Medicaid and/or food stamps and/or HEAP and/or other social…

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    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…

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by Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY: Save the Pine Bush volunteers discovered yesterday that the City of Albany bulldozed several roads through the Pine Bush Preserve last week.  Dedicated to the Pine Bush Preserve by the Albany Common Council in 1991, this Preserve land is located west of the City landfill .  Click here to see photos of the bulldozing. The Pine Bush is a globally rare and endangered ecosystem.  The land bulldozed was high quality, classic Pine Bush, known to…

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written by Lynne Jackson << Previous Begin Next>> Questions of Illegal Clearing and SPDES Permit Violations The Common Council must consider that this land was illegally cleared, in violation of the SPDES permit (#4-0130-00007/2002, issued on 7/6/94) given to Pyramid Crossgates. This permit applies to Crossgates Mall, the Karner Blue Hill Preserve, and adjacent properties owned in whole or part or under control of Pyramid Crossgates. Special Condition #7c in the permit states that prior to any further physical alterations…

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by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: Responding to a motion to dismiss the lawsuit against the City of Albany over the proposed hotel in the Pine Bush, Judge Stephen A. Ferradino ruled in favor of Save the Pine Bush, giving all the plaintiffs standing. Steven Downs brought this case on behalf of Save the Pine Bush. Standing is whether or not a person or entity has the right to bring a case to court. A number of years ago, a case, Society…

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written by Lynne Jackson << Previous More Information Next>> April 29, 2005 Richard Nicholson Historic Preservation Planner City of Albany Department of Development and Planning 12 Lodge Street Albany, NY 12207 RE: Residence Inn Draft Environmental Impact Statement VIA FACSIMILE: 434-9846 Dear Mr. Nicholson: Save the Pine Bush is extremely concerned about the Draft Environmental Impact Statement that has been prepared for the Residence Inn development in the Pine Bush in the City of Albany. Our specific comments are detailed…

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Ladies and gentlemen of the Common Council, my name is Lynne Jackson.  I live in Albany and I am a volunteer for Save the Pine Bush. I am here tonight to comment on legislation that the Common Council will pass tonight, dedicating the Fox Run Mobile Home Park land to the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. This legislation is a prime example of why the City administration and the members of the Albany Common Council should listen to the citizens of…

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written by Lynne Jackson << Previous Begin Next>> Land Ownership — Identify the Principals The DEIS should identify the current owner of the property. This is a factual matter, and is important because it must be determined if the current owner is or is not the prior owner. Pyramid Corporation, as “Washington Commons Associates” sold the land on 12/29/04 to R.I Heritage Inn of Albany, LLC whose address is 128 Rear Washington Avenue Extension, an empty field and one of…

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Save the Pine Bush vigorously opposes this bill, which would alienate 12.6 acres of high-quality Pine Bush habitat and set a dangerous precedent by which land, already dedicated to the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, can be alienated from park purposes and destroyed.  Furthermore, this bill, rather than enable or advance the SEQRA process, will effectively foreclose an honest and comprehensive environmental review of the City of Albany’s options with respect to its existing landfill. SEQRA review of the project can…

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Scoping Session and Public Comment for Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Wednesday February 21, 2007 at 7:00 pm Location: Polish Community Center 255 Washington Avenue Extension located at the corner of Rapp Road and Washington Avenue Extension in the City of Albany This hearing is the only opportunity for the public to comment in person about issues that we think need to be addressed in the environmental impact statement for the proposed landfill expansion. The Mayor of the City of Albany…

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Wednesday March 14, 2007 at 7:00 pm Village of Colonie Family Recreation Center 2 Thunder Road, Albany From Albany, go West on Central Avenue. Six blocks (1/10 of a mile) past Wolf Road, turn right onto Locust Park. Turn right onto Thunder Road and go to the Village of Colonie Family Recreation Center Get Directions from Mapquest Sick of the stench of the landfill? Tired of complaining? Tired of the deaf ear the City of Albany turns to complaints? Tired…

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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 AFFIRMATION                                                             Petitioners,                                                                                                                         Index No.                            for judgment pursuant to Article 78 of the CPLR                                         RJI No.                        -against-                                                                                                                                                         …

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January 25, 2006 Dear Pine Bush Supporters: Mayor Jennings has proposed to take land dedicated to the Albany Pine Bush Preserve as forever wild out of the Preserve for the landfill expansion. We need to stop this now, and the only way to do it is for many people to call Assemlbyman Jack McEneny and NYS Senator Neil Breslin and ask that no land be removed from the Preserve and made into a landfill. Call: The Honorable John McEneny at…

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by Lynne Jackson March 4, 2006 The Honorable Michael O’Brien, chair of the General Services Committee of the Albany Common Council, organized two tours of the Albany Landfill, for both the Common Council members and the public. Of course, I to attend. So, after getting up, and running two miles in Lincoln Park, I put on a whole lot of clothes, got in my car, and drove to Rapp Road. I arrived just before Mayor Jerry Jennings drove up in…

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TOWN OF GUILDERLAND PLANNING BOARD DRAFT SCOPE RECOMMENDATION  MARCH _____, 2002 FOR PUBLIC COMMENT DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT APPLICATION OF WOODFIELD SUBDIVISION Name of Project:                 Woodfield Subdivision Project Location:                 Lydius Street                                            Town of Guilderland                                            Albany County, New York SEQRA Classification:         Type I Action Lead Agency:                       Town of Guilderland Planning Board                                             Town Hall                                             Guilderland, New York 12084                                             (518) 356-9880 Contact Person:                     Jan Weston                                              Town Planner                                              Town of Guilderland                                              Town Hall                                              Guilderland, New…

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Proposed Office Complex in the Pine Bush A developer proposes to build a 5-acre office complex on Washington Avenue Extension in front of the Daughters of Sarah Nursing Home. Karner Blue Butterflies used to occupy this site, which is classified as a full protection area in the Pien Bush by the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission. It may be very important to the survival of the Karner Blue Let Your Voice Be Heard The Albany Common Council will hold a…

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