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What You Can Do Right Now

There are several ways you can help protect this land!

1 — Volunteer! You can sign up [by filling out this form].

 

2 — SIGN THE PETITION – [here]

 

3 — Call or e-mail the members of the Troy City Council Planning Committee:

* WE RECOMMEND TO CONTACT ALL MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE

Here is a suggestion for what you might want to tell them:

Hi! My name is [NAME]. I am calling about the proposed development at 1011 2nd Avenue in Lansingburgh.

I am asking you to stop this development now. It will destroy an important cultural and historical site, the city’s last undeveloped forest along the Hudson river. It will also lastingly disrupt the Lansignburgh neighborhood and divert resources from the many vacent properties in the neighborhood that need more urgent development.

For all those reasons I urge you, in the meeting on August 27, to vote AGAINST the motion to refer this to the Planning Commission and STOP THIS DEVELOPMENT FROM ADVANCING NOW!

And here is how to contact them:

Kim Ashe McPherson
355 6th Avenue
Troy, NY 12182
(518) 365-5536
kim.mcpherson@troyny.gov		 Anasha Cummings, Chair
16 Hutton Street
Troy, NY 12180
(518) 406-8636
Anasha.Cummings@troyny.gov
 Sue Steele
1610 Peoples Avenue
Troy, NY 12180
(518) 279-6122
sue.steele@troyny.gov		 Carmella Mantello, Coucil President
47 Roselawn Ave
Troy, NY 12180
(518) 281-6582

Carmella.Mantello@troyny.gov

4 — Collect petitions and inform others

You can let others know about what is happening, raise awareness about the effort and how to volunteer!
We particularly always need support in collecting petitions — you can sign up to do so via this form.

friends of the mahicantuck, How You Can Help, Meetings and Minutes, save1011, troy city council, troy city planning commission
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Timeline and Next Steps

May 21, 2020

On May 21, 2020 during a meeting of the Troy City Planning Commission, we were alerted to the potential development of a parcel of land along the Hudson River, located at 1011 2nd Ave in Troy, NY.

This land is well known in the community as a site of historical significance to the Schaghticoke First Nations, as well as the Munsee and Lenape Nations, Indigenous Peoples of the Mahicantuck River Valley. We understand that the land is currently owned by the Golub Properties of Watervliet, Inc, and currently under contract with a local developer.

After the meeting, several residents came together under leadership of Sachem HawkStorm of the Schaghticoke First Nations to protect the land and stop the development

By now, our coaltion includes several local organizations and partners that work on the regional and state levels.

August 28, 2020

After learning of the broad public opposition the developer, Kevin Vandenburgh, abandoned initial plans to seek a zoning variance for the land and instead seek a rezoning with the Troy City Council Planning Committee. This issue will be heard by the commission on August 28.

On August 28th, the Planning Committee will have to make a decision:

  • Will they realize the absurd inconsistencies between the proposed development and existing zoning code, public interest and potential for harm? Will they stop any further considerations of this proposal, as they should?
  • Or will they vote to advance this proposal and bring this issue in front of the full City Council?
friends of the mahicantuck, save1011, troy city council, troy city planning commission
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CITY COUNCIL TO PRIORITIZE DEVELOPER’S INTERESTS OVER CONSTITUENTS

Kevin Vandenburgh, a local developer in the City of Troy, recently is under contract with an option to buy land from the Golub family (the owners of Pricechopper) to build a 200-unit apartment complex.

The land he bought, however, is the last natural and undeveloped forest along the Hudson river in the City of Tory. And what is more: it is a culturally and historically important space for several tribes of the Mahican peoples — the original people of this area. Today, countless important archeologically important artifacts remain on this land.

Kevin Vandenburgh plans to pave over the indigenous history of this land.

 

The development also threatens the last natural Hudson river waterfront forest in the City of Troy.

To do so, the developer seeks a rezoning of this land (currently it is zoned as single-family residential — R1) and the Troy City Council shows all intentions to grant this rezoning.

In opposition to this development, a coalition has formed that is lead by the Schaghticoke First Nations and brings together numerous local residents, several community organizations active in the City of Troy and many other local, regional and state-wide environmental and cultural NGOs and community organizations.

A spokesperson of this coalition explains: ‘This only underscores the broad opposition to the development and shows how irreversably harmful the development of this land would be to the local community, the entire city, and the larger region’.

If the city council grants the rezoning, the proposed 200-unit apartment development would move forward.

This development will eradicate an unique natural space, last remaining forest and important indigenous cultural site forever.

A community activist explains that there are countless alternative vacant sites in the direct vincinity of this forest: ‘It’s not as if the council has no other choice. If they move forward with their plans,the city council members yet again will go on the record to show that they value profits for the wealthy more than the interests of the people they are supposed to represent’.