by Lynne Jackson

COLONIE, NY: The Town of Colonie Planning Board voted to recommend the rezoning of an 11.89 acre site at 4232 Albany Street from industrial to single-family residential after a public hearing on January 10. Five people spoke in opposition, four were from Save the Pine Bush. The rezoning would allow for construction of two houses on the property. The site is adjacent on two sides by land in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve and the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission has designated this property as “full protection”, which means the Commission recommends nothing be built on the property.

Of the approximately 2,000 acres of privately-owned Pine Bush ecosystem, 1,421 acres are located in the Town of Colonie. 1,304 of the acres are recommended for full protection and 117 for partial protection. Of the three municipalities, Colonie has the least amount of Pine Bush protected in the Preserve. The Town of Colonie needs protect its Pine Bush.

Save the Pine Bush will be following this proposal as it goes through the approval process and asking that an Environmental Impact Statement be prepared.

The Town should purchase this land and add it to the Preserve. The Pine Bush is being destroyed a few acres at a time and we do not want to see this proposal contribute to that trend.