Residents of Milton, New York are concerned about the potential impacts a 31-acre development could have on the town.
Community group Milton Citizens for Responsible Development held a town hall Wednesday night to allow residents to voice their opinions and concerns regarding the Mill Town Centre.
The proposal by Malta Development Company would be built along Rowland Street — bordering the Saratoga County Airport. The developers plan to build 19 buildings with more than 500 apartments, four retail pad sites, four mixed use buildings and a clubhouse, dog park, and walking trail for apartment residents. And nearly 1,300 parking spaces will take up some of the plot.
The project’s application has been deemed complete by the town. It’s currently before the town board with a rezoning request for six acres of land to be rezoned from airport zone to town centre zoning, according to John Bartow, chair of the town’s planning board.
Some residents worry the apartments and retail spaces will remain empty. Marian Pitsas, who has lived in Milton for decades, says it would be more successful if it was scaled down.
“Fewer number of apartments,” Pitsas said. “It didn’t come out tonight but there is a concern about the retail spaces. Who is going to work there? Most businesses in the town have ‘help wanted’ signs on them.”
Malta Development Company did not immediately respond to requests for comment from WAMC.
Cathy Hoff says the proposal doesn’t do enough for existing Milton residents like her.
“There needs to be less blacktop, too many hard services,” Hoff said. “If we had more green space, that would be nice. They are going to have a dog park and some walking trails, but that's only going to be for the residents. And we know that this project, it's probably going to go through. What we're working on right now is to get it scaled down. So, it's not so huge. And then, and then we'll work on the next project.”
Bartow says forums like this shine a light on the board’s discussions. Bartow says the town is working on updating the comprehensive plan, which serves as a vision board for the future of the town.
“Opinions don’t help a lot but substance into it really does,” Bartow said. “I think what was important is we’re starting a comprehensive plan process right now. So, really updating our comprehensive plan, updating our land use regulation. That’s gonna be a really great time to get this kind of public engagement and involvement going forward.”
The town is working on several other projects along Rowland Street including the installation of a roundabout and traffic light.
Residents took the opportunity to highlight the stress a project this large would put on the town’s infrastructure, schools, and emergency response services. Bob Sowle is the Rock City Falls Fire Chief.
“How we look at it is it’s part of the job,” Sowle said. “As far as responding to calls, dealing with the traffic and it really relies on the members of the district and the citizens obeying the laws when we come through the intersections. So, It doesn’t matter how many people are there.”
Attempting to ease concerns, Bartow says nearby school districts Saratoga Springs and Ballston Spa are working on plans to take in new students. Bartow says the current thinking is for a majority of the students to attend Ballston Spa.
“There’s discussions, can they be served by one?” Bartow said. “That’s gonna be up to the school districts to resolve, the developer is dealing with that right now. In terms of emergency services, there have been meetings between the developer and emergency services to say what’s necessary? What’s the mutual-aid need? What equipment do you need?”
Additionally, residents want answers on how the development will impact their taxes. Peter Nelson, with Milton Citizens for Responsible Development, says residents have not gotten straight answers from the town.
“You heard a lot of people asking about what's the benefit? Is this thing a good deal? If we were generating a lot of money that could be funneled into other things, you could argue that's a reasonable offset. But we just don't know,” Nelson said. “So, it's another question that should be answered.”
Most attendees Wednesday said there has been a lack of communication between the town, developers, and residents. They say as the project advances, they want more public discussions.
