Ballston Town Board delays decision on banning heavy industry

PHOTOGRAPHER: Stephen Williams

The Town Board won’t be making a decision tonight on whether to change its zoning law to ban heavy industry, the proposal’s chief sponsor said Monday.

Instead, the board will refer the matter to the town Zoning Board of Appeals for an advisory opinion, said Councilman William Goslin.

“Our attorney is recommending we run it by the Zoning Board, and that’s what we’ll probably do,” he said.

The proposed change is being opposed by the Dolomite Group, which wants to build a controversial asphalt-mixing plant at the Curtis Lumber industrial park off Route 67, near the town’s eastern border.

Dolomite applied for permission to build the plant two years ago but has encountered opposition from some local residents. The company recently completed a draft environmental impact statement, as it continues to go through the town review process.

Dolomite officials fear the proposed ban would stop their project, at a cost of the time and money already invested.

Goslin opposes Dolomite’s application, but since it was already pending, he thought it would be unaffected by any zoning change to ban heavy industry.

“I have said this is not a cure for Dolomite. This is really to fix the next Dolomite,” he said.

The company however, fears it isn’t exempt, and has asked that a specific exception for its application be written into any zoning law. It has threatened legal action if there isn’t an exemption.

The Town Board planned to make a decision in July, but postponed action to get input from the Saratoga County Planning Department. The county Planning Board then recommended the matter be decided locally.