Joining projects fuels protest

Clifton Park

A plan to connect a proposed residential subdivision with existing housing developments in southern Clifton Park has sparked a debate about suburban planning.

Geoff Brooks of Heritage Custom Builders last year proposed 103 single-family homes for 70 acres on Grooms Road, just off the Northway's Exit 8A. The cluster-style development meets the town's zoning code and received conceptual approval from the Planning Board.

Dozens of neighbors are petitioning a part of the project that calls for two-way streets to connect the 103-home subdivision to the Carlson Farms subdivision to its south, Presidential Estates to the east and Jarose Place to the west. Some residents of the three-year-old Carlson Farms subdivision say they bought their properties thinking they would live on a cul-de-sac, or dead-end street with one entrance and exit. Sharing traffic would create safety issues, devalue homes and harm the area's quality of life, said Tom Neiss, a resident of Carlson Farm on Balsam Way.

"We don't feel there should be a cut-through," Neiss said. The road connection would encourage motorists seeking to get to the Northway to drive through the residential areas instead of using Moe and Grooms roads, as they do now, he said.

The Planning Board is still reviewing the project. Board Chairman Rocky Ferraro said the town's Comprehensive Plan favors interconnectivity of neighborhoods where possible. He said town plans for Carlson Farms made it clear that its road would be extended when the mostly vacant 70-acre field to the north was developed.

"It was never intended to be a cul-de-sac," Ferraro said. It's town policy to make internal road connections because they provide new routes for emergency vehicles to access homes and relieves congestion on main streets, he said.

About 70 persons, mostly residents of Carlson Farms, signed a petition opposing the street extension. Many have spoken at public meetings. Neiss said they understand the concept of connectivity, but "opening up" Carlson Farms would violate a town code that states "Local streets shall be so laid out that their use by through traffic will be discouraged."

Frustrated petitioners presented their signatures to town officials. "It just appears they are not listening to us," Neiss said. The project's opponents suggest constructing an emergency-access exit at Carlson Farms and an extension of a nature trail connecting developments in lieu of a road.

Ferraro works as executive director of the Capital District Regional Planning Commission. He said the board made modifications to Brooks' subdivision application in response to concerns, including keeping a center island on Balsam Way to discourage speeding. He encouraged prospective homeowners to conduct due diligence when shopping for a home.

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Joining projects fuels protest