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Clifton Park board unanimously halts planning for Windover Park sports complex
Summary
After weeks of public comment and competing proposals, the Clifton Park Town Board voted to adopt an amended resolution that halts planning, studies and permitting for a proposed Windover Park playing-field complex and affirms the propertywill be preserved for passive recreation.
The Clifton Park Town Board on June 2 adopted an amended resolution directing that no planning, studies, bids or permit applications proceed for a proposed sports playing-field complex at Windover Park "at the present time or in the indefinite future," and committing the town to preserve the property for passive recreation.
The move followed an intense public comment period in which neighbors, residents and local preservation advocates urged the board to provide clarity and finality about the future of the 35-acre parcel. Several residents urged the board to combine two competing resolutions into a single, clear directive; after discussion the board voted to amend and combine the language so it both halted active planning and affirmed passive recreational care.
The resolution's text says the town "continues to commit to preserving the Windover property as open space for passive recreation" and that no action will be taken on planning, information gathering, bids or permit applications. The board debated whether language should bar action "in perpetuity" or use the phrase "indefinite future"; members ultimately approved the combined language and an amendment that incorporated background about wetlands, infrastructure and public-comment concerns.
Residents cited environmental constraints during public comment. One presenter noted that sections of the parcel are now mapped as freshwater wetlands with a 100-foot buffer under the state Department of Environmental Conservation, and argued the 1984 special-use permit for playing fields may be non-conforming under later town land-conservation law. Neighbors said they feared tree removal, stormwater impacts and hundreds of thousands of dollars in infrastructure costs for a small number of parking spots.
Supervisor Barrett and other board members said the amended resolution reflected those concerns and the public input the board had received. After a motion to amend and a second, the roll call on the amended resolution was unanimous.
The board adopted the amendment at the meeting and recorded an affirmative roll call. The resolution does not create any new funding or physical constraints beyond the stated commitment to preserve the property; future boards retain authority to revisit land-use decisions, though the resolution signals the current board's intention.
