Zoning proposal involves parishioners in community

Several meetings have been conducted at the school to give parishioners and community members an opportunity to learn about the proposal and express their opinions.

The plans call for a business park to be built in an area bounded by Albany Street, Brandywine Avenue, Duane Avenue and Bigelow Avenue, according to Jim Kalohn, the city's zoning officer.

School zone

The area contains a mix of single- and two-family homes, commercial properties and mixed-use buildings, some of which reportedly would be purchased by the city and demolished to accommodate the business park. St. Luke's School, located on Albany Street, would be surrounded by the proposed business park on three sides.

Before construction of the business park begins, however, the city council needs to change the zoning for the area to light industrial; a vote on the zone change scheduled for Feb. 23 was postponed, pending completion of a traffic study.

Among those who have helped raise awareness of the project through public meetings are Rev. Dominic Isopo, St. Luke's pastor, and Jim Dixon, pastoral council president.

Concern of parish

Upon first learning of plans for the business park in January, Father Isopo contacted the Central State Street Neighborhood Association and an ecumenical group of parishes in Schenectady to determine what could be done to inform local residents about the proposal. He also approached city officials to learn what impact the project would have upon St. Luke's School; he was told that any impact would be minimal.

Shortly thereafter, the first of several public meetings took place at St. Luke's School; these meetings have led to the formation of a committee of residents that meets with city officials to discuss issues surrounding the project.

One such issue is relocation, which would be especially difficult for elderly residents who feel an emotional attachment to homes where several generations of a family have lived, Father Isopo said. A handful of St. Luke's parishioners live in the area where homes are slated for demolition, but no St. Luke's School students reside there.

Issues

Another issue is the compensation that residents would receive for their homes and the need for city officials to pay homeowners a reasonable price. That's one of the primary concerns of Mr. Dixon, who worries that people living in the area where the proposed business park would be located may not receive an adequate amount of money for their homes.

"Some of these people are going to have a very difficult time finding comparable housing anywhere else in the city for the money that they're going to be recouping," he said.

He also wants to be sure that the business park won't put children who attend St. Luke's School or Lincoln Elementary School at risk.

"We would certainly like to know that it's going to be attractive and safe. These are grade-school children," he said.

Points of view

Although some residents are opposed to the business parks, others clearly support the proposal and would be willing to relocate to new neighborhoods, Father Isopo pointed out.

Regardless of their position, St. Luke's parishioners seem to be learning through this process that being Catholic means more than just attending Mass on Sunday.

"The people are beginning to make some connections between who we are as a Church and what our responsibility is to the community," he said. "The community that people live in is an extension of the parish life that they celebrate."

Although some questions regarding the business park remain to be answered, Father Isopo emphasized that there is open dialogue between neighborhood residents and city officials.

"It's not us against them. I think everybody is for economic development, a broader tax base, new jobs in this city," he said. "I think this could be a win-win situation."

(03-05-98) [[In-content Ad]]