Kensington Woods
From Wikisquare
The Kensington Woods plan proposes 282 homes on 267 acres between the Village of Voorheesville and the hamlet of New Scotland, on the plot of the former Tall Timbers golf course and farmland.
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History and involved parties
The Kensington Woods proposal was first presented to the Town January, 2006. The applicant is listed as Louis L. Masullo, Garrison Development Group, 395 Mariaville Road, Schenectady, NY 12306. The current land is broken up into five separate lots.
Project Timeline
January, 2006: open town meeting to present the proposal and receive public comments. (Meeting minutes).
September, 2006: Town Board adopts Local Law #7, “A Local Law Suspending Large Scale Development in MDR and R2 Zones” -- a 6-month development moratorium in the northeast quadrant. A public hearing covered discussion of the law, which was passed at a Town Board meeting.
October, 2006: Town board discusses progress in moratorium, including new directions: www.qualitycommunities.org
Housing types
The development is planned to mix mostly single-family houses (102 acres), with some condominium style 2-family buildings (51 acres), as described in the proposal[1]. The breakdown is:
Villa Lots: 100 units (moderate-priced 2-family, 1/2 acre lot size, intended for young professionals, retirees, and senior citizens)
Carriage Lots: 52 units (moderate- to higher-priced 2-family, 1/2 acre lot size, intended for young professionals, retirees, and senior citizens)
Executive Lots: 86 units (moderate-priced single family, 1/3 acre lot size, intended for young professionals and small/moderate sized families.
Estate Lots: 43 units (moderate- to higher-priced single family, 1 acre lot size, intended for senior professionals and moderate to large sized families.
The region is zoned Medium Density Residential (MDR), with a minimum lot size (with public water/sewer) of 1/2 acre per unit. The Town Board must approve the higher densities being sought in this Planned Unit Development (PUD), where development is clustered and the average density for the entire plot stays within the MDR requirement.
Roadway traffic
Vehicle access is planned at Hilton and Font Grove Roads.
The secondary commuter routes -- Krumkill, New Scotland Road, and Route 155 will require upgrading to accommodate higher capacity, meaning wider lanes and shoulders, turning lanes, etc. will be needed with new development (New Scotland Comprehensive Plan pp 96-97 (1994)[2]).
Water access, sewer, and runoff
A high capacity aquifer is located on the KW plot, capable of serving needs beyond the proposed development, which makes this development a factor in the larger issue of Town water access.
Sewage treatment is proposed within the development, with discharge to the Normanskill tributary on the east side. Residential wells on the east side have raised the issue of the threat to water quality for current residents from sewage discharge and surface runoff. Runoff is split by Hilton Road and ends up either in the Vly Creek (west) or the Normanskill (east).
Neighboring community
It is a goal of the Comprehensive Plan to maintain rural character and blend densities of neighboring development. The proposed site (pink on the map) is surrounded by a majority of neighboring land where housing density averages 20 acres per unit or more (area "1"). It is only on the western side that there is higher density development, approaching 4 acres per unit at the far west end ("2") and 1/2 acre per unit (the newer Appleblossom neighborhood, "3") at the far southwest tip. Even these parcels are separated from the proposed development by deep buffers created by the Vly Creek and the abandoned rail line.
Agricultural lands
Another goal of the Comprehensive Plan is preservation of prime agricultural land. The accompanying image overlays the proposed site with a map of agricultural soil conditions (New Scotland Comprehensive Plan pp 41-42 (1994)[3])), indicating Best soils (green), Moderate soils (yellow), and Worst soils (red).
