Victories – Save the Pine Bush

Ward Stone, longtime DEC wildlife pathologist, dies at 84

February 10, 2023 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

By Ted Remsnyder | February 9, 2023 TROY — Ward Stone, who served as the state’s wildlife pathologist for over four decades, died Wednesday morning at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson after a long illness. Stone, who held his post with the Department of Environmental Conservation from 1969 until his retirement in 2010, left behind a long legacy of environmental advocacy in his 41 years on the job. Stone, 84, is survived by six children and his longtime partner Mary…

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SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 2010s

February 12, 2022 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

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…

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SPB Newsletters Listed by Date – 1990s

February 12, 2022 Lewis B. Oliver, Jr., Esq. Comments 0 Comment

2020s 🦋 2010s 🦋 2000s 🦋 1990s Search Newsletter Archives: 1999 🦋 1998 🦋 1997 🦋 1996 🦋 1995 🦋 1994 1999 December 1999, January 2000 Garbage in the Pine Bush – City Proposes Landfill Expansion SPB Files Most Unpopular Suit Yet – Sues the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission The Thruway Authority Comes Across Royally Thank You to All Who Responded to the Emergency Appeal 1st Annual Pine Bush Walk-a-Thon a Sucess! October/November, 1999 Save the Pine Bush Sues…

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Lafarge Can’t Burn Tires!

June 3, 2021 Tom Ellis Comments 0 Comment

By Tom Ellis, June/July 2021 Newsletter HUDSON RIVER VALLEY: Residents of Hudson River valley, but especially Ravena and Coeymans, won a great victory on May 5 when the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) commissioner issued a short statement revoking its prior authorization for the Lafarge cement company’s to burn tires at its Ravena cement kiln. The DEC statement said the “Lafarge facility currently lacks the infrastructure to burn TDF [tire derived fuel], and has not, nor has it ever,…

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Speak out to Protect the Pine Bush in Colonie!

April 22, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

Tuesday, June 14, 7:00 PM Town of Colonie Operations Center, Public Operations Center, 347 Old Niskayuna Road, Latham, New York 12110 Everyone who is concerned about Pine Bush preservation should come to this important hearing. In 2005, after dozens of public meetings, the Town of Colonie created a Pine Bush overlay as part of the Town’s comprehensive plan. This conservation overlay was a hard-fought victory for the Pine Bush. Now, land owners in the Town of Colonie want to take…

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Nature preservers For 30 years, Save the Pine Bush has fought for ancient barrens

April 8, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

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…

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Letters to Save the Pine Bush

April 6, 2021 Lewis B. Oliver, Jr., Esq. Comments 0 Comment

Letters to Save the Pine Bush Letters to Save the Pine Bush Here is a sampling of letters written to Save the Pine Bush and some responses written by Lynne Jackson: From: rngeorge@gw.dec.state.ny.us (Richard Georgeson) To: pinebush@aol.com To Lynne Jackson: Lynne – In your history of Save the Pine Bush section of your web page, you incorrectly state, “In September of 1978, there were no environmental laws in effect in New York State.” However, in 1978 there…

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Save the Pine Bush Raises Money

April 6, 2021 Lewis B. Oliver, Jr., Esq. Comments 0 Comment

Save the Pine Bush Raises Money Save the Pine Bush Raises Money If you asked me what my least favorite activity is, I would say "fund-raising". Its no fun. But, we have discovered that our work to preserve the Pine Bush costs money. And because a lot of people believe as we do, we have raised far more money than I ever expected. SPB has no full-time, salaried staff. We are all volunteers, and have been known to put thousands…

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Assemblywoman Pat Fahy and Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk After the Election: Doing the Peoples’ Work

April 6, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: Newly elected Assemblywoman Pat Fahy and state Senator Cecilia Thaczyk were the featured speakers at the January 16 Save the Pine Bush dinner held at the Westminster Presbyterian Church. Carol Waterman made the introductions. Ms. Tkaczyk had not yet been certified the winner but in her comments, she said she was certain she would prevail, which she did two days later. Pat Fahy began saying that while she barely had time to read the new…

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The Two Month Debate – Jennings and McEneny In A Death-Grip

April 6, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

The Two Month Debate – Jennings and McEneny In A Death-Grip The Two Month Debate Jennings and McEneny In A Death-Grip By Daniel Van Riper Part 1: The Challenger State Assemblyman and Albany mayoral candidate Jack McEneny found himself being interviewed by the editors of the local media outlet for the Hearst Corporation, the Times Union. After the usual questions they asked him, "How do you get along with the business community?" " Well," said McEneny, "I have a number…

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Neil Breslin Calls For Preservation

April 6, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

Neil Breslin Calls For Preservation Breslin Calls For Preservation Hoblock "Powerless" To Stop Walmart By Daniel Van Riper In the hottest local race of the election season, Neal Breslin, Democratic candidate for State Senate, which includes the Pine Bush and much of the Capital District, squared off with Republican incumbent Michael Hoblock at the Sept. 25 lasagna dinner at 1st Presbyterian Church in Albany. Mr. Breslin congratulated the crowd on the recent Apollo Drive victory (see elsewhere in this issue),…

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Remember The Elections? Be Thankful We Still Have Them

April 6, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

Remember The Elections? Be Thankful We Still Have Them Remember The Elections? Be Thankful We Still Have Them By Daniel Van Riper It’s been 3 months since the November elections, time enough to assess the damage . . . and look forward to more! Here’s a quick roundup, and boy is it partisan: Bond Act Boondoggle More than a few folks were puzzled by Save the Pine Bush’s lack of an endorsement for the Environmental Bond Act, especially since it…

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Waste-to-Energy One Solution to the Garbage Issue

April 6, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

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…

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Save the Pine Bush Enjoys Another Victory – Adventure Park Parcel Added to the Preserve

April 6, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

Save the Pine Bush Enjoys Another Victory – Adventure Park Parcel Added to the Preserve Save the Pine Bush Enjoys Another Victory Adventure Park Parcel Added to the Preserve by Lynne Jackson The Albany Pine Bush Management Commission purchased 34 acres of land on September 24, 1996. Included in this purchase a key parcel that had been slated to become an adventure park consisting of go carts and miniature golf until Save the Pine Bush stepped in and filed suit…

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Victory In Colonie SPB Stops GEIS

April 6, 2021 Lewis B. Oliver, Jr., Esq. Comments 0 Comment

Victory In Colonie SPB Stops GEIS Victory In Colonie SPB Stops GEIS By Daniel Van Riper Late breaking news as we go to press: Save the Pine Bush attorney Lew Oliver said we had a really good case. As usual, he was right. In a major victory for Save the Pine Bush, State Supreme Court Justice Harold J. Hughes has declared the Town of Colonie Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) null and void. Among the issues raised was that the…

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Victory in Colonie! Vinyl Golf Driving Range Proposal Withdrawn

April 6, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

Victory in Colonie! Vinyl Golf Driving Range Proposal Withdrawn Victory in Colonie! Vinyl Golf Driving Range Proposal Withdrawn by Lynne Jackson Since last spring, Save the Pine Bush volunteers have been attending hearings, reading long EIS’s (Environmental Impact Statements), and speaking out against the proposed Golden Bear Family Golf Indoor and Outdoor Driving Range. This ugly thing which was to be located between Siver and Curry Road in Colonie, was proposed to be built on 18 acres of Pine Bush…

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April 6, 2021 Lewis B. Oliver, Jr., Esq. Comments 0 Comment

Save the Pine Bush Forces Developer to Remove Water Lines from Pine Bush Preserve Save the Pine Bush Forces Developer to Remove Water Lines from Pine Bush Preserve by Lynne Jackson In a victory for the Pine Bush, the developer of a luxury housing sub-division along the border of Guilderland and Albany has been compelled to remove illegally placed water lines from state-owned Pine Bush Preserve. Lewis B. Oliver, Jr., attorney for Save the Pine Bush, had received notice…

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April 6, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

Save the Pine Bush Victorious! – Developer Removes Water Lines! Media Frenzy The media came out in full force for our Press Conference announcing the removal of the water lines. In the background, note the backhoe digging up the water lines. From left to right: Lynne Jackson of Save the Pine Bush, Don Levy, Channel 10 News, Ken Screvin, Channel 6 news, reporter from WRGB, and John Wolcott. Usually, TV stations do not cover Pine Bush issues very often. One…

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April 6, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

Save the Pine Bush Victorious! – Developer Removes Water Lines! John Wolcott It was John Wolcott’s tireless enthusiasm and research that ensured Save the Pine Bush’s victory. Wolcott had spent years writing to government officials explaining the problem with Willow Street, but no one listened until Save the Pine Bush sued. Wolcott is Save the Pine Bush’s expert witness, having researched deeds back to the 1600’s, and determinining the owner of Willow Street. John Wolcott, on August 10, 1998. Photo…

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April 6, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

ALBANY: The State Employees Federal Credit Union (SEFCU) building and surrounding land, located in the center of the Pine Bush on Route 155, was traded for state-owned land at the Harrimon State Office Campus. In the late 1980s, Save the Pine Bush sued over the zoning approval given to SEFCU and won. Judge Robert Williams ruled in Save the Pine Bush’s favor citing the fact that the Generic Environmental Impact Statement prepared by the City of Albany failed to take…

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Greening Your World

April 6, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

by Rezsin Adams ALBANY, NY Ñ The SPB September veggie lasagna dinner welcomed Steve Breyman, Director, Ecological, Economic, Values & Policy Program in the Department of Science & Technology Studies at RPI as he spoke about ÒGreening Your World.Ó “ Most people running institutions today have very few or no Õgreen bonesÕ.” Steve Breyman opened his remarks on greening institutions by pointing out that greening is beneficial in at least two ways: in itself it benefits the institution and the…

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After 12-Year Battle, the Pine Bush Losses

April 6, 2021 Lewis B. Oliver, Jr., Esq. Comments 0 Comment

ALBANY, NY: On March 22, the Supreme Court — Appellate Division, Third Department turned down Save the Pine BushÕs appeal of Supreme Court Judge Joseph TeresiÕs decision against Save the Pine BushÕs lawsuit over 300 Washington Avenue Extension. The land in question is owned by Charles Touhey, and is located on Washington Avenue Extension in front of the Dunes housing project. Touhey originally proposed building a office complex on the site in 1988. The land was zoned residential, and to…

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A Journey to Nabokov’s Karner, New York – a Conservation Dilemma

April 6, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

A recent date to speak about Nabokov’s blues in Albany, New York — the state’s capital — afforded me a chance to visit what is left of old “Karner”, New York. Karner is the little hamlet that, in common parlance, has attached its name to Nabokov’s famous endangered species Lycaeides melissa samuelis, the “Karner Blue”. Karner got the nod for samuelis’s common name because Nabokov chose specimens of samuelis from Karner for his type series (the specimens he used…

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City Can’t Decide!

April 6, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: The City of Albany is taking two contradictory positions on the proposed hotel in the Pine Bush. Council Stonewalls Developer: The Honorable Daniel Herring (Ward 13) held a Common Council Planning and Development committee meeting on October 9 to discuss the SDEIS (Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement) written and submitted by the developer. The SDEIS was referred to committee by the Common Council because an important letter from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) was…

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The Environmental Picture of the Capital District

April 6, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

by Rezsin Adams ALBANY: The April vegetarian lasagna dinner at the First Presbyterian Church was the location for our annual round-up of the state of the environment. Speakers from five organizations told us what was happening: Judy Enck, Attorney-General Eliot Spitzer’s Office. The Attorney-General has initiated numerous court cases to save the Clean Air Act from the Bush Administration’s attacks. And it has been quite successful. The office, in addition to many lawyers, has it’s own scientists and it is well-prepared…

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City of Albany Attempts to Sneak Legislation Past the Public Removing Land from the Pine Bush Preserve

April 6, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

ALBANY: The City of Albany tried to sneak in legislation at the last minute that would radically change the protection of the Pine Bush Preserve. The Albany Common Council, in vote of 11-4, asked the NYS Legislature to pass a home rule bill to alienate 12.5 acres of protected Pine Bush Preserve in order for the land to be used to expand the City’s current landfill. Assemblyman John J. McEneny sponsored the bill in the NYS Assembly. Despite the secrecy…

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The Lac-Mégantic Rail Disaster: Public Betrayal, Justice Denied

April 6, 2021 Tom Ellis Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: “This book is about regulatory capture by a large corporate interest,” said Bruce Campbell. He discussed the 2013 runaway train explosion in the Quebec town of the Lac- Mégantic at the March 20 SPB dinner. Mr. Campbell is the author of The Lac-Mégantic Rail Disaster: Public Betrayal, Justice Denied, published last year. He was joined by former Albany Common Councilman Dominick Calsolaro, who led the struggle against the “bomb trains” in Albany earlier this decade….

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Strategy & the Story Behind the Albany County Styrofoam Ban

April 6, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

by Wendy Dwyer ALBANY, NY: Tina Lieberman spoke at the November SPB dinner. For Tina, this was her first attempt at getting a law passed and she said it took a lot of people. Tina asked people who had helped in some way (writing letters, attending hearings, signing petitions, etc) to stand up and almost everyone in the room had helped! Tina said Albany County Executive, Dan McCoy, felt the letters to the editor really influenced the legislators. There were…

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Save the Pine Bush Volunteers Win Victory for Open Records

April 5, 2021 Tom Ellis Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: For many years I have watched state agencies abuse our rights as citizens, taxpayers, residents, and interested parties in regulatory proceedings. The NYS Energy Research and Development Authority (ERDA) and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are particularly guilty of limiting public access to public information. For example, ERDA held six public hearings in February and March 2014 on the proposed long range state energy plan. I attended the first hearing in Albany but none…

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Don Reeb Speaks to Save the Pine Bush

April 5, 2021 Tom Ellis Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY: After a rousing introduction by Carol Waterman, Don Reeb spoke at the February 19 SPB dinner about “Cities and the Environment.” Don, now 80 years young, is a retired University at Albany economics professor, was co-leader of the Stop Crossgates mall campaign, and has been President of the McKownville Improvement Association for many years. He said he can remember the Depression well. He is one of 11 children; the family lived in a three-room apartment,…

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Save the Pine Bush Turns 35 in February

April 5, 2021 Lewis B. Oliver, Jr., Esq. Comments 0 Comment

by Lynne Jackson On February 6, 2013, Save the Pine Bush will be 35. I wanted to reprint the story of our formation (the extended version can be found on the website, http://www.savethepinebush.org) Save the Pine Bush came into being on February 6, 1978. It snowed that day. It snowed so much that the offices of the New York State government closed down and stayed closed the next day. This is the only time that I remember in the…

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No Frack-ing Way

April 5, 2021 Tom Ellis Comments 0 Comment

ALBANY, NY -At the April 20 dinner, speakers from four different organizations addressed a cause that united them: keeping hydrofracking out of New York State. Roger Downs represented the Sierra Club, a membership grass roots organization. He said that he has never seen a movement attract so many people. For example, at a rally last week, 450 people registered to lobby and saw 180 legislators. In a first draft environmental impact statement, Mr. Downs said that the DEC had not…

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Zero Waste or Waste Authority?

April 5, 2021 Tom Ellis Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis, Citizens’ Environmental Coalition Save the Pine Bush and friends won a partial victory in late February when Clough Harbour & Associates (CHA) revised the preliminary draft solid waste management plan it had issued in mid-December on behalf of a “steering committee” appointed by Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings. CHA faced considerable pressure from two steering committee members, SPB, Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, and many others. During the past fifteen months, the city of Albany has been developing a long-range…

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Metroland Local Hero – Lynne Jackson

April 5, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

Lynne Jackson remembers when Save the Pine Bush was founded. It was February 1978, and the Albany City Planning Board had gone forward with a public hearing on four development proposals in the Pine Bush, despite a snowstorm so bad the state workers had been sent home early. Then the city planner closed the hearing because of the weather before all the opponents who had showed up anyway got to speak. Enraged, a group got together and eventually decided to…

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Earth Day Update

April 5, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

by Lynne Jackson ALBANY, NY: The First Presbyterian Church was the location of the April Save the Pine Bush vegetarian dinner which featured representatives of five environmental groups telling us about the state of the environment. Bobbi Chase, of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CEC), gave us an update about toxics. The state superfund has run out of money and has not been re-funded by the state. There are 770 toxic waste dumps around the state that have no…

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April 5, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

16 Year Victory for SPB – Nature Conservancy Buys Land 16 Year Victory for SPB Nature Conservancy Buys Land Feb./Mar. 95 Save the Pine Bush had another big victory in December when the State of New York gave the Nature Conservancy money from the 1994 Environmental Protection Fund to buy 87 acres of prime, beautiful, Pine Bush. The property, often referred to as the “Muncie Parcel” is located at the intersection of Washington Ave. Ext. and Route 155. This 80…

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A Stunning Victory! Zoning Approvals Overturne

April 5, 2021 Lewis B. Oliver, Jr., Esq. Comments 0 Comment

A Stunning Victory! Zoning Approvals Overturne A Stunning Victory! Zoning Approvals Overturned by Daniel W. Van Riper, Mar./Apr. 92 March 5-State Supreme Court Justice George L. Cobb today overturned two zoning approvals by the City of Albany in the Pine Bush at 300 Washington Ave. Ext (Charlie Touhey’s office development in front of Dunes) and 40 Karner Road (the proposed Karner Office Park just south of Pinehurst). This ruling may set a precedent which would bring all development proposals currently…

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All Development Halted – Emergency Appeal Succeeds!

April 5, 2021 Lewis B. Oliver, Jr., Esq. Comments 0 Comment

All Development Halted – Emergency Appeal Succeeds! All Development Halted Emergency Appeal Succeeds! by Daniel W. Van Riper, Jan./Feb. ’93 In a unanimous decision, the Appellate Division of the NYS Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling earlier this year that overturned zoning changes for the 40 Karner Road and Touhey parcel at 300 Washington Ave. Ext., both located in central parts of the Pine Bush. “Congratulations to us!”, said Lew Oliver, SPB’s attorney, flushed with victory once again. “This…

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April 5, 2021 Lewis B. Oliver, Jr., Esq. Comments 0 Comment

Developer to Remove $50,000 Water Lines from the Preserve Developer to Remove $50,000 Water Lines Press Releases Press Conference on Monday, August 10 at 10:00 AM Save the Pine Bush Forces Developer to Remove Water Lines from Pine Bush Preserve Land For Immediate Release: August 7, 1998 For Further Information: Please Contact: Lewis Oliver at 463-7962 or Lynne Jackson at 434-1954 PRESS CONFERENCE & PHOTO OPPORTUNITY Developer to Remove $50,000 Water Lines from Pine Bush Preserve on Monday, August…

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Save the Pine Bush Newsletters in Date Order

April 5, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

Save the Pine Bush Newsletters in Date Order Save the Pine Bush Newsletters in Date Order 1996-1997 December 96, January 97 Newsletter New York to Buy Pineland Tract From L.I. Scouts The Karner Blue vs Crossgates Mall – Secret Meetings and SEQRA Violations The Karner Blue and the Wishing Wells Save the Pine Bush Sues the Town of Colonie November SPB Dinner Speakers Now We’ve Got A Bond Act – Jeff Jones of Environmental Advocates Bethlehem Pickled – Formaldahyde And…

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Overview of Climate Crisis and NY Renews

April 5, 2021 Grace Nichols Comments 0 Comment

by Tom Ellis ALBANY, NY Mark Schaeffer of 350.org and Conor Bambrick of Environmental Advocates (EA) spoke at the September 21 SPB dinner about the climate crises and the need for a political climate change. Mark led off saying pre-industrial age atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations were 280 part per million (ppm) and today are 400+ ppm, in part the result of years of inaction resulting from decades of disinformation by the fossil fuel industry, including Exxon. He said we…

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April 5, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

Save the Pine Bush Joins with Residents of the Dunes to Win Big Charlie Touhey Cannot Build His Office Buildings Save the Pine Bush Joins with Residents of the Dunes to Win Big Charlie Touhey Cannot Build His Office Buildings by Lynne Jackson August 5, 1996 will go down as a day of victory for the Pine Bush. The Albany Common Council voted 12-3 not to re-zone 300 Washington Avenue Extension to commercial, stopping Charlie Touhey from constructing an office…

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Yes, the King’s Royal Yorkers are Coming!

April 5, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

Yes, the King’s Royal Yorkers are Coming! Stanford Home Hearing Information Hearing Notes January 23 Hearing Canadians are Coming! Archeological Information Photos – Outdoor Photos – Indoor Bonding Editorial Preservation Donate Contact Yes, the King’s Royal Yorkers are Coming! Well, one man is representing the Captain Richard Duncan Company. Background: In the 1777 and 1783, Captain Richard Duncan commanded a company in the 1st Battalion of the King’s Royal Regiment of New York, under Sir John Johnson. Richard…

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The Hotel is Back and Badder than Ever!

April 5, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

ALBANY: Theraldson, the largest hotel corporation in the United States (sometimes known as the “Wal-Mart” of hotels) is back, asking to build a hotel on occupied Karner Blue habitat. Yes, Save the Pine Bush won our lawsuit against the City of Albany over the re-zoning the 3.6 acre site of the proposed hotel project. But, that doesn’t mean the developer can’t come back and ask again to have the land re-zoned. The developer has submitted an additional Supplemental Draft Environmental…

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A Tribute To Lew Oliver

April 5, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

by Steve Downs On September 1, 1976, a new law, the State Environmental Quality Review Act, SEQRA, came into effect which required comprehensive environmental planning at the beginning of every environmentally significant project – the problem was that nobody was sure just how the new law worked. Just two years later the first published law suit by Save The Pine Bush was filed against the City of Albany by a young lawyer, Lew Oliver, eager to see if this new…

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Second lawsuit filed over Guilderland Planning Board’s approval of Pyramid project

April 4, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

Published on Tuesday, December 1, 2020 – 17:34 in the Altamont Enterprise Lynne Jackson of Save the Pine Bush speaks at a press conference announcing a Nov. 20 court decision to halt Pyramid’s plans to build a Costco and 222 residential units near Crossgates Mall in Guilderland. GUILDERLAND — A week after a judge in Albany County Supreme Court ruled in favor of a group of Westmere residents and a Guilderland gas-station owner who were seeking to stop construction of a 222-unit development…

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The Residents and the Pine Bush Win Against Pyramid Justice Prevails

April 4, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

by Lynne Jackson ALBANY: In an astonishing, detailed, and carefully written decision, Judge Peter Lynch handed a victory to Westmere Terrace residents and a gas-station owner, the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against the Town of Guilderland Planing Board and Pyramid Management Group. The decision makes null and void all of the approvals the Planning Board gave to Pyramid for its proposed development project known as the “Rapp Road Residential/Western Avenue Mixed Use Redevelopment Projects. This is a significant victory…

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Save the Pine Bush Brief History and Summary

April 2, 2021 Lewis B. Oliver, Jr., Esq. Comments 0 Comment

by Lynne Jackson Save the Pine Bush came into being on February 6, 1978. It snowed that day. It snowed so much that the offices of the New York State government closed down and stayed closed the next day. This is the only time in the 20 years that I have lived in Albany that the State closed its offices due to the weather. I was able to ski to work in downtown Albany. On that day, the Albany City…

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Charlie’s At It Again! Touhey proposes housing units in the Pine Bush

April 2, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

by Lynne Jackson Charlie Touhey, whose proposed office complex at 300 Washington Ave. Ext. was voted down by the Common Council last summer, is proposing yet another development for his 12-acre site in the Pine Bush. There is a twist to this one, though. Usually, developers never want the neighbors to know what they are doing. In all my years of working for Pine Bush preservation, not a single developer ever voluntarily notified the neighbors about a proposed project. This…

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BUY LOCAL, GROW LOCAL: An Online Resource and Public Awareness Campaign

April 2, 2021 Lynne Jackson Comments 0 Comment

Background: As early as the end of March some of us in PAUSE (People of Albany United for Safe Energy) noticed that greenhouse gas emissions were going down around the world due to Covid 19. We thought this was a very good thing but knew unless direct action was taken to keep them low they’d pop right back up again. This pandemic has brought to the fore our vulnerability to the just-in-time global supply lines. The usual abundance at the…

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