Neighbors oppose townhomes, ask for traffic and stormwater studies at Glens Falls City planning hearing

Glens Falls City residents packed a planning board hearing to oppose a redevelopment plan at 196 Ridge Street that would convert a historic Victorian house into multiple rental units and add a separate building of townhomes with expanded parking.

Neighbors repeatedly asked the board to require a traffic impact study and a fuller environmental review before allowing the project to proceed. "Our neighborhood's created a logo: character, history, and green space," said David Cook, identifying those three priorities and urging the board to preserve them. Britney Mason, who lives next door at 50 William Street, said the new owners, Snyder's Drywall, "want to change the historic Victorian house next door to my home into 6 2‑bedroom apartments, and in the separate and second building add 6 3‑bedroom townhomes" for a total of 12 units and 29 parking spaces; Mason argued the change would substantially raise daily trips and reduce pedestrian safety.

Why it matters: Speakers said the rear building, an internal access road and a large parking lot would alter a low‑density,…