Our Town: Greenfield – Growing Pains

May 2, 2004

PAUL POST , The Saratogian

GREENFIELD – Officials in this largely rural town are confronted by several key issues ranging from a proposed large-scale mining project to the future of municipal water service.

The most important challenge might be balancing the needs and wishes of a rapidly-changing population.

Shifting expectations

For decades, Greenfield primarily consisted of a core group of established families, some of whose roots go back more than 100 years. Recently, the town has seen an influx of new, more affluent residents who have different expectations about the services local government should provide.

“We’re seeing people try to build homes in areas that none of us thought anybody would try to build on,” said Tom Kinsella, chairman of a newly-formed Land Use Committee. Among other things, this has put pressure on the town to improve and better maintain roads that previously hadn’t even been paved.

Braim Road, for example, was a little-used country road for many years. Today, it’s dotted with multi-million-dollar homes.

One of Saratoga Springs’ main draws is that it’s a so-called “city in the country,” but the city is expanding out into surrounding rural areas. Ray Hargett of North Greenfield Road has lived in Greenfield for the past 14 years, and like many residents, he’s concerned about the town’s development trends.

“I just hate to see it grow like Saratoga’s growing,” he said. “I used to love Saratoga. To me, it’s become way too big and way too commercial.”

Greenfield will never be like downtown Saratoga Springs, but the Spa City’s booming economy is creating a ripple effect that officials in neighboring communities are forced to deal with. At one time, Nick’s Little Engine Shop on Sand Hill Road was typical of the kind of small businesses that Greenfield residents ran out of their home or garage. Now, high-tech consultants are more prominent.

The Land Use Committee is expected to complete its work in roughly a year, when it will make recommendations to the Town Board about updating Greenfield’s master plan. Water and sewer are some of its primary concerns because such service usually paves the way for more growth.

Saratoga County’s Board of Supervisors is considering a plan to pipe water from the upper Hudson River as part of a countywide system. If that occurs, town leaders will have to decide how much of Greenfield should get water. Some existing houses that are currently using unreliable wells would benefit greatly. But expanded water would promote new growth, making some residents unhappy.

Balancing act

Planning Board Chairman Gary Dake said that public input will play an increasing role as town officials grapple with the pros and cons of such issues.

“It’s always a balancing act,” he said. “I don’t believe there is a right or wrong answer.”

Greenfield’s geography will likely never allow the kind of dense housing found in Wilton, Malta and Clifton Park. “Where you don’t have bedrock, you have water,” Dake said. A 39-lot subdivision called Greenfield Estates was approved in the late 1980s, about a mile north of Greenfield Center. Since then, wetlands laws have gotten even stricter. “If a similar thing came to us today, it probably wouldn’t be as dense,” Kinsella said. “Most subdivisions we do aren’t bigger than 10 lots. Greenfield hasn’t been sliced up like some sections of Wilton.”

Denser building might be possible in the southeast corner of town, between Locust Grove Road and Route 9. One party is already considering a townhouse project for the polo fields between Denton and Daniels roads, although a formal application has yet to be filed.

“Currently, it’s zoned residential,” Supervisor Robert Stokes said. “It may need a special permit or a PUD (planned unit development). It’s hard to say because we haven’t seen anything yet.”

Previously, the master plan identified specific sites and suggested uses that were most suitable for them. Dake said town officials are rethinking that approach.

“Just because the land will support something doesn’t mean you have to use it that way,” he said.

Several dozen new houses could be built on a 50-acre parcel, for instance, but there might be more appropriate uses.

Crossroads for change

Most of Greenfield’s newer residents moved here because they were attracted by its pristine, natural beauty. Some of these same people, after building new homes, want no one else to follow suit.

“People have purchased land in Greenfield because of what it was,” Dake said.

Some residents have made it clear that’s exactly how they want it to stay. A new cell phone tower on South Greenfield Road was delayed for nearly a year by neighborhood opposition. Someone proposed opening a nature/cultural center on rural Greene Road so underprivileged youths could learn outdoor living skills. People there have objected because of potential negative impacts such as increased traffic. This group has taken legal action to have the project stopped.

“I have been amazed at some of the things people are opposed to,” Dake said.

Greenfield’s most volatile subject is Pompa Brothers Inc.’s plan to expand mining operations on more than 200 acres in the western part of town. Dake said there’s a silver lining to every such debate.

“We’re getting people involved in town who otherwise aren’t really paying attention,” he said. “But it’s a good way to increase the level of interest and involvement about what’s going on in the community. Apathy is an even greater killer in the community than controversy.”

Re-used by permission of the Saratogian of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. – www.saratogian.com