Brookside Nursery owner urges strict setbacks, stormwater protections at Ballston hearing on Eastline Commons PUDD amendment

Ian Murray, owner of Brookside Nursery on Route 67, told the Town of Ballston Board at a July 14 public hearing that the proposed Local Law 2 of 2026 amending the Eastline Commons Planning Unit Development District should "not be a blanket approval" and must meet the town's setback and stormwater requirements.

Murray said the proposed project "does not fit with the gateway to our community," recalled a prior expansion that required a 100-foot setback from the state road, and warned of sight-line constraints and nearby U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wetlands around Eastline Road and Route 67. He also listed site elements he said were not addressed in the amendment: "There is no provision for stormwater, sight line traffic, snow removal, dumpsters or traffic mitigation fees," he said.

Attorney James Trainor, representing the applicant, responded that the amendment "is only an addition to the use," describing it as a stand-alone enclosed storage building that he believes would be "one of the least intensive traffic uses of the site." Trainor said other technical concerns, including setbacks, would be handled during the site-plan approval process and argued the change would not alter neighborhood character; he noted the PUDD was originally approved in 1984.

The hearing record shows no written correspondence was received prior to the July 14 hearing. The Town Clerk's reading of the notice cited Section 20 of the Municipal Home Rule Law of the State of New York and said the proposed law can be viewed on the Town website or at the Town Clerk's Office and that written comments could be emailed to the Clerk before the hearing.