Planning, Economic Development and Land Use Committee

ALBANY COMMON COUNCIL PLANNING, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND LAND USE COMMITTEE MINUTES Alfredo Balarin, Chair Meeting called by: Alfredo Balarin, Chair | Date: March 25, 2024 | Time: 5:37PM Committee Members Present: Balarin, Chair ☒ Adams ☒ Zamer ☒ Hoey ☒ Clarke ☐ Council Members Present: Frederick City Personnel Present: Avi Epstein (Principal Planner), Shaniqua Jackson, Demetra Brown, Jake Eisland, Juliette Geraghty Speakers/Invitees: Dan Hershberg (Hershberg & Hershberg), Bryan Davis (BBL Construction Services), Alanna Moran (VHB Engineering), Stephen Quillinan Minutes Agenda Item(s):  ORDINANCE 76.122.23 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 375 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF ALBANY (UNIFIED SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE) BY CHANGING THE ZONING CLASSIFICATION OF PARCEL KNOWN AS 280 MOUNT HOPE DRIVE FROM MIXED USE CAMPUS/INSTITUTIONAL (MU-CI) TO MIXED USE-COMMUNITY HIGHWAY (MU-CH) AND AMENDING THE ZONING MAP ACCORDINGLY Public Comment: 1. Joe Wilson, 170 Mount Hope Drive, Albany, NY 12202 – Support for Ordinance 76.122.23 The following provided written comments to the Council: 1. William Ritchie, 122 Tallmadge Place, Albany, NY 12208 – Support for Ordinance 76.122.23 2. LaRonda Pulliam, 180 Mount Hope Drive, Albany, NY 12202 – Opposition to Ordinance 76.122.23 3. Jennifer Hoffman – Opposition to Ordinance 76.122.23 Questions and Discussion:  The Chair called the meeting to order. Public Comment was heard. Written Public Comment was read for the record. A statement from Council Member Clarke was read for the record.  Council Member Balarin welcomed Avi Epstein up to present.  Avi Epstein spoke on the proposed zoning amendment, the lack of street frontage at 280 Mount Hope Drive, and the differing uses between MU-CH and MU-CI zoning districts.  Avi Epstein further spoke on the favorable recommendation made by the Planning Board on December 5, 2023.  Avi Epstein spoke on landscaping requirements that would be applicable to this project.   Avi Epstein informed the committee why the adjacent 270 Mount Hope parcel is not under consideration to be rezoned from MU-CI to MU-CH.  Council Member Frederick asked if the developers are required to maintain landscaping, which Avi Epstein confirmed.  Council Member Balarin invited Bryan Davis, Dan Hershberg, and Alanna Moran up to speak on the traffic impacts of the project and screening between the self-storage facility and the Mount Hope neighborhood.  Alanna Moran spoke on the traffic study conducted that concluded that the project is expected to generate about eleven trips during the morning peak hour, fourteen trips during the evening peak hour, and twenty- three trips during the Saturday mid-day peak hour. o Alanna Moran further spoke on the traffic study concluding that approximately 90% of these trips will enter the self-storage facility from Southern Blvd. and about 10% from Mount Hope Drive.  Council Member Frederick asked how it was determined that 90% of the trips would enter the self-storage facility from Southern Blvd. and 10% from Mount Hope Drive, to which Alanna Moran responded and spoke on contributing factors such as the character of the roadways and where likely customers of the self-storage facility are located.  Council Member Frederick asked how much traffic results from self-storage facilities compared to other uses, to which Alanna Moran responded that self-storage facilities are among the least impactful uses in terms of traffic.  Council Member Balarin asked how much traffic the Capital Region Fitness and Tennis Center, which formerly occupied the space, would have produced. o Alanna Moran responded that the fitness center would have likely produced more traffic than the self-storage facility.  Bryan Davis spoke on the inclusion of language in the storage contracts that states that truck traffic is prohibited on Mount Hope Drive.  Bryan Davis further spoke on screening between the self-storage facility and the neighborhood, including using existing landscaping and planting evergreens to supplement the existing trees.  Bryan Davis and Dan Hershberg spoke on how creating a berm would require the removal of existing mature trees and therefore they recommend against it.  Council Member Frederick asked about planting additional trees to assist with the visual barrier between the self-storage facility and the Mount Hope neighborhood, to which Dan Hershberg responded and spoke of planting trees along the existing trees that border the Mount Hope neighborhood as well as along the self-storage buildings.  Council Member Balarin asked about including language in the storage contracts about respecting the neighborhood, to which Stephen Quillinan responded, affirming that this language would be included.  Council Member Adams thanked the development team and Council Member Frederick for working with the community during this process.  Council Member Frederick stated for the record that 650 units could be built without approval from the Common Council.  Council Member Frederick thanked the development team for conducting a comprehensive traffic study to address the Mount Hope community’s concerns, for including language in the storage contracts that requires customers to access the self-storage facility from Southern Blvd., and for using landscaping to ensure there is a visual barrier between the buildings and the Mount Hope neighborhood.  Council Member Frederick lastly spoke on her support for the requested zoning change.  Council Member Zamer moved to pass Ordinance 76.122.23 out of committee with a favorable recommendation, seconded by Council Member Adams, and passed unanimously by voice vote. Adjourn: Council Member Adams moved to adjourn, seconded by Council Member Hoey, and passed by voice vote. The meeting was adjourned at 6:21PM. Respectfully Submitted, Juliette Geraghty Junior Legislative Aide