Board declares Mitigated Negative Declaration for 620 Saratoga Street; requires strict dust-control plan

The Cohoes Planning Board declared a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the 620 Saratoga Street redevelopment at its July 13 meeting, conditioning the determination on mitigations to address silica dust and construction-related airborne particulates. Member Carroll moved to declare the Mitigated Negative Declaration with conditions, Member Paradis seconded, and the motion carried 4-0.

Board members discussed DEC comments and specific mitigations. Charl Godfrey, the applicant’s representative, said the DEC comments focused on silica dust and that the project team will mist excavation and demolition areas and coordinate a temporary hydrant water meter. "their only concern was the findings for the silica dust," Godfrey said. Vice Chair Moloughney and Member McCormick emphasized the property’s history and the potential for shallow soil contamination; Chair Moloughney noted that "in the Norlite history even silica dust from the plant was one of the primary contaminants that had concerns and that would have still settled in the soil." The Board required that the developer submit a strict air-quality and dust-control plan with the demolition permit and that stormwater pollution-prevention practices be enforced during building permit review.

The Board attached the mitigation requirements to its SEQR finding rather than asking DEC for ongoing oversight; code enforcement and the building-permit review process will be the mechanism for reviewing and enforcing the dust-control plan. Member McCormick noted the site is on the state registry of hazardous-waste sites and recommended engineer sign-off and city-engineer oversight as part of the demolition plan review. The motion to adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration specifically included the dust-control and SWPPP conditions discussed during the hearing.