Zoning advisory committee members and trustees clash over draft code timing and canceled meetings

Members of Ballston Spa’s volunteer Zoning Advisory Committee told trustees during public comment that the committee’s work remains unfinished and that its chair spoke for the group without committee approval.

Marilyn Stevenson, who said she has handled publicity for the ZAC, told trustees the consultant had not cleared the committee’s work and that the committee’s final tasks in its scope of work remained incomplete. “The statement is false, misleading, self serving,” Stevenson said of an earlier minute that reported the consultant had told the ZAC their obligation was complete. She asked trustees to retract that portion of the minutes and press the committee’s work forward.

Several ZAC members and other residents echoed that account. Kamranah Harwana, a ZAC member, read the ZAC charter adopted by the board and said the committee charter permits meeting without a quorum for discussion but requires that the committee continue work through its assigned scope; she said unilateral cancellations of meetings had prevented completion of tasks.

Jared Eichelucci, another ZAC member, said the committee had not had a chance to provide guidance to the consultant on several outstanding, potentially contentious topics and that the mayor had encouraged members to submit comments directly to the board rather than work through the committee as chartered.

Trustees and the mayor described a compressed timeline and said they wanted to avoid a protracted process. Mayor Frank Rossi said he wants a product sooner rather than later and asked for transparency about areas of disagreement. Several trustees encouraged the ZAC to provide written statements on contentious topics so the board can review differences ahead of a public workshop.

The consultant, Fisher Associates, and its lead (identified in public comment as Chris Kushel) have been working on draft zoning text and mapping; multiple ZAC members told trustees the consultant asked for more time and that a posted public draft that had been scheduled for mid-February was delayed. ZAC members asked the village to remove canceled meetings from the public calendar and to restore scheduled meeting dates so the committee could meet and take votes where necessary.

At the meeting’s end trustees took an action to restore (uncancel) meeting dates on the village calendar so the ZAC’s scheduled meetings remain publicly posted. The board also encouraged ZAC members to submit written comments on a set of identified contentious items — several members said they would and asked for a public workshop and hearing to follow the draft release.

Ending: ZAC members asked for their chartered role to be respected, for canceled meetings to be restored on the public calendar and for the board to receive written positions on outstanding issues prior to public hearings. Trustees urged timely delivery of a public draft and that the board receive clear, documented input on contentious items before final action.