Latest strip mall-adjacent project explained

Diamond Rock Plaza strip mall. / Business Review photo

If you have seen or heard the latest activity going on at Diamond Rock Plaza opposite the entrance to Highpointe, you no doubt are curious what's going on.

The last project undertaken there by property owner Tom Murley was an abortive attempt to make use of part of the parcel as a school bus depot. A number of Terrace residents testified at a Brunswick Planning Board hearing. That proposal eventually was withdrawn.

The latest effort involves a solar panel installation on a 40-acre parcel adjacent to the strip mall building that had been approved some time ago. 

Our neighbor Fred Fowler, who was among those testifying against the bus parking proposal, has spoken with representatives of the Town of Brunswick about the current plan for the parcel and reports the following:

(1.) A solar farm has heretofore been approved on other property that Mr. Murley owns that is more “inland” from Oakwood Avenue. However, there are to be some electrical lines that will run from that solar farm through the parcel next to the strip mall. I believe that the current activity is associated with the construction of the solar farm itself or perhaps the construction of these electrical lines. 

(2.) When the site plan for the strip mall was initially approved the parcel next to the strip mall was to be a car wash. Since that time the zoning law in the Town of Brunswick has been changed such that the Oakwood Avenue area is zoned as “light industrial.” Apparently Mr. Murley is now desirous of constructing some retail structure on that site. In order to do this he must first have the property rezoned for retail. I believe he may already have submitted such an application to the Town Board, which must then be referred to the Planning Board for their opinion. Assuming the Planning Board approved the request it would then go back to the Town Board for a vote. It is my understanding that the commercial zoning he is requesting is for over 5,000 square feet of retail space. If the Town Board approved the zoning change the matter would then go back to the Planning Board for the Site Plan Review process, which is what we had the hearing for on the school bus parking. 

(3.) Certain of our residents should get written notice of the zoning change proceedings as well as the hearings on the site plan due to the proximity of their property to the site. I assume these are probably Nos. 4 through 8 Hyland Circle [the homes that were notified of the bus parking plan], so I would appreciate being informed of any notices received pertaining to this matter. While I will try to keep abreast of any developments I do not receive any notices since my house is farther than 400 feet from the site.

Fred offers the following observations:

"I do think it is important to realize certain realities: 

• This is Mr. Murley’s private property and he has the right to development it in any manner that is consistent with the applicable laws and regulations. 
• The school bus proposal was so outrageous that it was easy to prevail. 
• None of us are voters in the Town of Brunswick. If something is to be built we may just be relegated to mitigating any negative effect on our community. 
• Arguing for a traffic signal at the entrance to Highpointe Drive and the proposed use could well be the best strategy."

NOTE: We will have a brief discussion of this latest project placed on the agenda for our Monday, October 2, THCA meeting at Faith Lutheran Church.

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We hope to see you on Monday

As noted in several emails, the Terrace at Highpointe Community Association (THCA) will conduct its annual member meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, October 2.

The venue is, as usual, the meeting room of the Faith Luther Church, 50 Leversee Road, opposite the city water plant.

Among agenda items are a financial review, committee reports, and election of a THCA Board for 2024-25 since all seats have two-year terms.

NOTE: We don't know in advance if the chairs and tables will be set up in the meeting room, so we're asking any able-bodied folks who might want to help to show up a few minutes early in case we have to do the setup. Likewise, if the furniture needs to be put on storage dollies after the meeting, we'll need help with that, too.

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Quarterly dues are due by Sunday

A friendly reminder to those homeowners who pay their dues on a quarterly basis:
The 4th quarter of 2023 begins on Sunday, October 1. Dues should be submitted in the usual manner to THCA Treasurer Jerry Gordon.

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Need to visit the DMV in Troy? Better hurry!

The Rensselaer County office building.

The Rensselaer County Department of Motor Vehicles is closing its doors for at least several months, effective on Monday, October 2.

The closure is part of a planned multi-stage renovation of the county offices, located at 1600 Seventh Avenue in Troy. The DMV anticipates reopening to the public in early 2024.

“I have been pushing for renovation of the Troy DMV for the past five years," said County Clerk Frank J. Merola. "Quite frankly, it has become outdated and this renovation will modernize the DMV which will allow us to update equipment and space usage, and to maximize our already excellent customer service.”

Anyone who needs to visit the DMV after October 2 can use one of these offices:

• County Office Building, 99 Troy Road, East Greenbush (a full-service venue), Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Hoosick Falls Satellite DMV, in the John J. Murphy Senior Center at 69 Church Street every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Merola is encouraging residents to mail non-essential transactions to the East Greenbush office.

The DMV provides original and renewal vehicle registrations, driver's licenses and learner permits; is responsible for issuing conditional and restricted licenses of rental vehicles, livery, ambulances and buses; provides non-drivers license identification cards as well as being a sponsor of the "Moto Voter" program.

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Restaurant lineup revealed for Troy Chowderfest

Twenty businesses are on the list for the annual Chowderfest, the largest foodie event in Troy each year.

This edition of the chowder-centric tasting festival is scheduled for noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, October 8, with downtown restaurants and bars selling samples at $2 each from their premises, and non-downtown eateries teaming up with a variety of downtown businesses to sell out of their venues.

Participating businesses and sales locations:

• Coffee House of Troy at 518 Craft, 200 Broadway
• Bar 353, 353 Broadway
• Bard & Baker Board Game Café, 501 Broadway
• Bootleggers on Broadway, 200 Broadway
• Brown’s Brewing Company, 417 River Street
• DeFazio’s at Rare Form Brewing, 90 Congress Street
• Dotty Lou’s BBQ at Monument Square
• La Capital Taco, 161 4th Street
• Little Peck’s, 211 Broadway
• McAddy’s Pub, 452 Broadway
• Muddaddy Flats, 49 3rd Street
• Oh Corn! Arepas, 429 River Street
• Ryan’s Wake, 403 River Street
• Sea Smoke Waterfront Grill at Monument Square
• Stacks Espresso Bar, 13 3rd Street
• Slidin’ Dirty Food Truck, 9 1st Street
• Tara Kitchen, 172 River Street
• Tatu Taco, 100 Congress Street
• The Ruck, 104 3rd Street
• Tipsy Moose at Rare Form Brewing, 90 Congress Street
• Twisted Fiddler, 9 1st Street

“I’m excited to bring Chowderfest back with the new format we incorporated last year,” said Olivia Clemente, executive director of the sponsoring Downtown Troy Business Improvement District (BID).

“The concept of this format" -- selling from storefronts rather than from a central location such as Riverside Park as was the format prior to 2022 -- "was not only to bring more foot traffic to our restaurants, but to get everyone walking around downtown and explore streets they may never walk down on a normal day. It’s really all about getting to know our area and the businesses.”

Not familiar with downtown Troy? A map showing the location of participants is available on the event website.

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Troy roadwork schedule revised for this week

Continual rain has prompted the City of Troy's Department of Public Works to modify its roadwork schedule for this week and the beginning of next. 

The new plan -- also dependent on weather:

Thursday

• 5th Ave between Hoosick St – Rensselaer St

• Vanderheyden St between 6th Ave – 5th Ave

• Rensselaer St between 6th Ave - River St

• N. 1st St between Jay St – North St

• Hutton St between 8th St – 10th St

Friday

• Hutton St between 11th St - 17th St

• 16th St between Hoosick St – Jacob St

Monday

• 17th St between Hoosick St – Eagle St

• Eagle St between 17th St – Burdett Ave

• Tibbits Ave between Orchard Ave – Burdett Ave

Work generally begins at 6 a.m. unless otherwise noted.

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Please remember dog leash requirements

A reminder about the mandatory City and Terrace requirements on dogs outside the home.

Both require that all such pets must be on-leash at all times when off the owner's property, as during a walk, and/or securely tethered when outside the home during playtime.

At no time are dogs allowed to be off leash outdoors, whether or not they are accompanied by their owners.

We have had several instances on the Terrace of violations of such requirements and would appreciate, for the enjoyment of all residents and the avoidance of injury to animals or humans, adherence to both Terrace rules and City of Troy law.

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Lighting improvements planned for Terrace

As part of a year-long series of projects to restore and upgrade the Terrace environs (see here, here, and here for examples), we are working on repairs and improvements to exterior lighting in several areas.

One aspect is a repair of the LED light installations at the entrance on Hyland Drive that have been malfunctioning for some time. That is scheduled for this week.

Another is the installation of solar-powered lights near the mailbox gazebo meant to both enhance the esthetics of that welcoming entrance to the Terrace and to upgrade the safety lighting for the many residents who walk -- themselves and their pets -- in that area.

And, while we're at it, we are making one of our periodic requests for everyone to be sure their exterior lights -- both the pole lights and the bolted-on lights adjacent to their garage doors -- are in good working order. We have a number of dark areas on the Terrace, but the more proper lighting we have at each residence the better. 

John Paccione has been making himself available to neighbors to advise them on the most affordable state-of-the-art lights that improve illumination and reduce utility costs. You can call him at 518-577-2200 for advice.

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Tree trimming project set for Monday

A cautionary note:

A crew from Skyview Landscaping will be on the Terrace for some tree trimming and dead-tree removal on Monday (September 18).

Please exercise caution when walking in the area of their work, mostly near the mailbox gazebo area and on Hyland Drive.

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Oakwood Avenue closing on Saturday

This Saturday, the City is closing Oakwood from Farrell Road to Frear Park to repair a major water line.

The schedule calls for the area to be blocked off from 9 a.m to 5 p.m., but that’s subject to change depending on how the work goes.

The same area had to be closed off four years ago when a 24-inch water main broke.

If you’re headed into the city on Saturday you can use Farrell Road to loop around the blocked-off area, or head down Northern Drive into Lansingburgh.

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Please, hands off the security lights!

An update on the security lights at the entrance to The Terrace.

John Paccione, who was asked by the THCA Board to oversee repairs on the lights that have been out for some time, today reported that "The lights are back on at the entrance. Someone turned the breaker off because they were continuously on because the photo-sensor is broken. I’ll have the electrician replace the sensor next week. That’s all that needs to be done."

However, we will be placing a small lock on the electrical box to keep unauthorized people from accessing the breaker. 

Also, someone has manipulated the position of the lights and, in doing so, caused the wiring to become exposed to the elements. 

No one is authorized to do so. So, we ask everyone to please not touch the electrical box or the lights themselves. If there ever is a problem with the lights, simply contact a member of the Grounds Committee (chair Ned Alaskey, Bill Shover, Jim Cotter, Bob Malphrus) to report the problem.

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Movie filming to impact Troy traffic on Saturday

If you plan to be in the neighborhood of 2nd Street in Troy this Saturday, beware of (a) movie crew activity, and (b) lack of parking between Jefferson and Adams Streets.

That's because the City will block off that section of 2nd Street from 9 a.m. to midnight to allow an independent Brooklyn film company to use it for filming scenes for its sci-fi spoof film called "Flapjax."

The company, Bad Taste Video, already had filmed at the former Ted's Fish Fry property in Lansingburgh. If you want some details on that session and the movie itself, just click here.

In a bulletin posted on neighborhood front doors, Bad Taste Video notes that residents may notice increased activity, including the arrangement of equipment, props, and vehicles. Traffic control measures will be implemented to minimize disruptions, and intermittent traffic delays may occur. 

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City Hall will be closed for holiday on Monday

Troy City Hall will be closed to the public on Monday, September 4, in observation of Labor Day. It will reopen for normal business hours on Tuesday.

A statement from Mayor Pat Madden said, "The federal Labor Day observance honors the labor movement in the United States: organizing which has secured steady hours, weekends and better pay (among many other accomplishments) for many American workers.

"Troy has a rich unionist legacy. Notably, the Kate Mullany National Historic Site celebrated its grand opening on June 10th of this year. Mullany and her co-worker, Esther Keegan, organized approximately 300 women into the first female union in the country, the Collar Laundry Union. Today, the organizing tradition is carried on by many local labor unions as our region, state and nation see a resurgence of union organizing."

The Kate Mullaney House is located at 350 8th Street, visible from Hoosick Street.

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