Residence Inn Hotel Proposal is Back!
UPDATE: The City of Albany has appealed Save the Pine Bush's win of the hotel case to the Appellate Division. The oral arguments for the case will be heard Friday, May 30 at 9:30 AM in the Appellate Division (click here for directions).
Everyone who is interested in hearing the case should plan on attending. Lynne Jackson will be walking to the court and leaving her house at 8:30 AM. There is plenty of parking at Lynne's house, and you would be welcome to join her. To make arrangements and for directions, email Lynne.
UPDATE: February 4 , 2008 at 7:00 PM, City Hall, 24 Eagle Street, Albany
The Honorable Dominick Calsolaro has introduced a resolution asking the corporation counsel of the City of Albany to not appeal Save the Pine Bush's win of the hotel case in NYS Supreme Court.
Mr. Calsolaro's resolution.
For more information see:
Stop the Hotel! - Ask the Governor and the Mayor To Do the Right Thing, Jan/Feb 08
City Can’t Decide! - More about the Hotel Case, Jan/Feb 08
Here is a pdf of the resolution. Attend the meeting or call or email your Common Council Member and ask them to support this resolution.
UPDATE January 12, 2008: Honorable Dominick Calsolaro, Ward 1, introduces legislation to require the City of Albany withdraw from Appealing Save the Pine Bush's win of the hotel case.
Important meeting held at City Hall on October 9, 2007
Read what is missing from the Hotel SDEIS
Read about the current hotel proposal
Read the missing USFWS letter
Call or email your Common Council Member.
The Common Council Planning, Economic Development and Land Use Committee will meet to discuss the proposed hotel SDEIS on
Tuesday, October 9, 2007 at 5:30pm
Albany City Hall, Room 209, 2nd Fl
Public comment will be accepted at the meeting. The only topic will be consideration of whether to accept the proposed hotel SDEIS as complete. The public is welcome to attend.
The complete resolution is:
Resolution number 61.92.07r
Resolution of the Common Council regarding completion of a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) and scheduling a public hearing in accordance with article 8 of the environmental conversation law (SEQRA) and the regulations promulgated thereunder in connection with the Tharaldson Development Company’s application for rezoning of 124-128r Washington Avenue Extension.
Download and read the
proposed Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement
(document is 5.1 MB)
Save the Pine Bush Wins!
Save the Pine Bush wins against the City
Save the Pine Bush
Wins Standing!
Read summary of Judge Ferradino's decision, September 1, 2006
Proposed Hotel in the Pine Bush
Theraldson Group, the largest hotel owner in
the US, has proposed a hotel adjacent to a colony of Karner
Blue butterflies in the Pine Bush.
Update as of 5/1/06: Save the Pine Bush Sued
in March, 2006
WAMC
news story about Residence Inn and
proposed office complex
Contact
Common Council Members
Court papers file in Hotel Case
Let Your Voice Be Heard
The Albany Common Council
will vote on re-zoning for this proposed Residence
Inn Hotel.
Citizens may speak for 5 minutes during the Public
Comment period.
Date: Monday, December 19,
2005
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Second Floor , Albany City Hall,
Eagle Street, Albany, NY
Who should attend: Everyone who wants to see
the Pine Bush protected
Everyone who opposes re-zoning this land should
attend and make their voices heard.
Summary of Issues
- The FEIS should NOT be accepted until the
US Fish and Wildlife Service is allowed a site
visit. The US Fish and Wildlife Service, in
a letter commenting on the DEIS, requested
a site visit. However, this letter appears
to have been lost and was not included or responded
to in the FEIS.
- Proposed Hotel would be 200
meters from Karner Blue site, which is considered "occupied habitat" according
to the Federal Karner Blue Recovery Team.
- In 1998, this land (owned by Pryamid Crossgates
Mall), was illegally bulldozed. Now, the
developer has come back to say, well, the
land has been bulldozed so there is no environmental
impact if we build a hotel.
- The City of Albany needs to decide what
its policy on extinction of species is. If
built, this hotel would have a significant
impact on the ability of the Karner Blue
to survive.
- There are no accommodations for pedestrians
or bicycles (see SPB
Comments and then the
developer's repsonse, "walking
or bicycling . . . should be discouraged.").
- The developer has not said whether or not
they will apply for the 485b program of tax
deductions (this was not included in the
DEIS, it is unknown as to whether the developer
answered this question in the FEIS).
Time Line as of November 29. 2005
- Final Environmental Impact Statement adopted
as complete by the Albany Common Council on
Monday, November 21
- Next step is for the Albany Common Council
to hold a hearing on whether or not the land
should be re-zoned. The hearing is scheduled
for Monday, December 5.
Read More
Read Save the
Pine Bush Comments on
the
Draft Environmental Impact Statement, written April 29, 2005
See Photo of proposed
site
Proposed
Hotel in the Albany Pine Bush, April 05
Crossgates
Casts a Dark Shadow Over the Pine Bush Dec
03/Jan 04
Crossgates Wants
to Build a Hotel in the Pine Bush, Will they never
go away?, Sept/Oct 04
Crossgates Hotel Proposal in the Pine
Bush - Scoping Document, Oct 04
Save the Pine Bush Wins Second Round - Win on Hotel Case Upheld by Supreme Court, Aug/Sept 07
Want to Get Involved?
Email Lynne Jackson at lynnejackson@mac.com
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