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A few ways to deal with Sch’dy’s Erie Boulevard

    Re the April 7 letter “Erie Boulevard plan will be bad for business downtown,” by Carl F. Liss: I have been a Schenectady resident since 1925, and I remember the boulevard as it was back then and how it has changed. No more GE traffic from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. as [workers] headed home.
    Anyway, this will be a short set of ideas that I have picked up in my travels. Try some of these things: I fi nd that parking is a huge problem. Disney World, Turning Stone Casino and England all have park-and-ride; the ride is provided by small, 20-plus passenger buses that pick up at loading stations every 20 minutes. Debit swipe cards are used in England, with senior and student rates.
    These lots are available now: the empty food market on Hamburg Street, the empty Trustco lot on Curry Road, or any empty store or shopping center. The small buses are also used in the large parking lots and in Atlantic City; they pick up passengers in many hotels and travel lodges.
    I’ve noticed while playing at the racino, the handy way they keep track of your play, and credit it with value points. Wow! What a concept. Remember Carl’s Gold Bond stamps? If you came home after shopping and didn’t have some stamps, mom would scalp you! That little book was kept for Christmas gifts, etc. So here’s where Schenectady might (with computers) issue swipe cards to get points. Every merchant could participate (almost like that Carl’s stamp).
    Traffic circles: If you can drive and have driving skills, these circles will save fuel and time. I hate waiting at empty intersections.
    EDWARD SAKACS
    Rotterdam

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These lots are available now: the empty food market on Hamburg Street, the empty Trustco lot on Curry Road, or any empty store or shopping center.

These are all privately owned lots. Would Mr Sakacs be ok if we parked in his driveway? The last thing we need are more county owned parking lots.

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Traffic circles: If you can drive and have driving skills, these circles will save fuel and time. I hate waiting at empty intersections.

I suggest he not come downtown on the weekends or after 5pm. It's full of empty intersections.

The point here is that a "circle" or "roundabout" is designed to control traffic at a 4 or 5 way intersection - NOT a 2 way intersection.

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The point here is that a "circle" or "roundabout" is designed to control traffic at a 4 or 5 way intersection - NOT a 2 way intersection.

I tend to disagree with this, MT, as if you look locally, there is Latham Circle, which is a 2-way intersection (actually, even less, if you consider the flyunder for Route 9) and how about the Curry / Hamburg proposed circle that hasn't happened yet?

The Curry Rd roundabout will control 4 directions of travel. N/S/E/W. (and for anyone that cares, yes, I think this is a silly place for a roundabout also, but SOMETHING has to be done about that intersection mess)

The Latham "circle" - named differently becuase it's technically "different" controls 4 directions of travel also - Latham is the only place that a road actually goes under the roundabout.  There are still 4 possible "exits" off the Latham circle tho.

With the Erie :"mess" - there will still only be two possible exits - Erie NE and Erie SW.  (Excluding the parking lot entrances proposed)

I have to side w/ MT on this one.  The traffic rotary is being planned for Erie Boulevard at a location at which there is only two way traffic.  Perhaps the exit from the rotary opposite S. Church Street will lead to a parking area?  Either way, it is tax revenues being wasted with the true objective to eliminate two businesses that are deemed "inappropriate" for the Schenectady scene.

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SCHENECTADY
Roundabout talks OK’d Land acquisition to be needed
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

    Although the proposed roundabout on Erie Boulevard has not yet been approved, the Schenectady City Council agreed Monday to negotiate for the purchase of two businesses that must be demolished to make room for that road design.
    The decision left the owners of Another World Bookstore and Special Arms & Munitions fuming. Both say the roundabout was designed solely to get rid of the city’s adult bookstore, and both think Monday’s decision proves that the project will move forward despite overwhelming opposition from residents who have commented on the public plans.
    “It’s deliberately to put me out of business,” said Another World owner Rocco Palmer. “It’s the only two buildings I have and it’s the only two they’re taking down.”
    He leases his second building to Special Arms & Munitions.
    Both Palmer and the gun store owners are preparing for relocation, even though the project has not been approved by the Schenectady City Council.
    The roundabout is part of a $14 million redesign project set to start in 2009 and finish in 2011.
    Palmer said the end is already crystal clear.
    “If they haven’t approved anything, why are they worried about buying us?” he said.
    He’s developed a building plan for his new store, on a site on Broadway in Bellevue, but he’s hired an engineer and an attorney to fight what he expects will turn into an eminent domain battle.
    “We don’t want to move. We don’t want to come to Broadway. They’re forcing us to,” Palmer said. “We’re just a business like everyone else. I’ve been there 38 years, paid all the taxes — you know, a tavern has more problems. They call police five, six, seven times a year. We’ve never called them.”
    C o u n c i l w o m a n B a r b a r a Blanchard also questioned the mayor for proposing sale negotiations before a final plan has been approved by the council. But she was reassured, she said, and ultimately voted in favor of the measure.
    “We’re only negotiating for the right of way, we’re not buying it,” she said.
    However, she added that she’s disturbed by the lack of improvements in the plan, and while she wouldn’t say how she feels about a roundabout, she said she has not heard any resident speak positively about it.
    Mayor Brian U. Stratton insisted that the proposal is simply the best plan for the redevelopment of Erie Boulevard.
    “It feeds in well to the Stockade and the community college because of the roundabout,” he said. “The ultimate goal is to make a street that is predestrian-friendly and green.”
    He also said residents will have “ample opportunities to talk about these things at our steering meetings.”
OUT OF THE LOOP
    Blanchard disagreed, saying that she went to the most recent meeting but found the same plan that residents panned last year.
    “It does seem they’ve not made any changes,” she said.
    Special Arms & Munitions coowner Mark LaViolette questioned whether the city wants public input. He said he hasn’t been contacted by the city at all — not given the dates of the steering committee meetings nor informed of Monday’s council meeting.
    “It would be nice. All I ever know is what I read in the paper,” said LaViolette, who is also a city policeman and active in the police union.
    He, like Palmer, says closing the adult business is the city’s main objective.
    “They’re targeting next door and we’re collateral damage. That’s basically the only reason this is coming to fruition,” he said. “We’ll be relocated, but we obviously chose this location due to the close proximity of the police academy. I feel [moving] would be a detriment to our business.”
    Other business owners on Erie Boulevard have criticized the roundabout proposal because it would require customers to enter the I-890 interchange and turn back onto Erie Boulevard in order to access stores on the other side of the street. They have also said the roundabout isn’t needed at its proposed location — the intersection of Erie and South Ferry Street — because South Ferry does not cross Erie Boulevard.
    Palmer’s engineer, Lawrence Levine, said documents from roundabout designers Clough Harbour Associates, indicate the roundabout was originally proposed at the intersection with South Church Street.
    “The majority of the traffic going to the Stockade goes in at South Church. There are businesses located on South Church,” Levine said. “I did traffic counts — there’s a lot of cars going in at South Church. The left turns at South Church — if they have a problem on Erie, it’s there.”
    Also, World and Special Arms & Munitions would not need to be demolished if the roundabout were placed at South Church Street.
    “If you ask me, it kind of screwed up the whole project to put it at South Ferry,” Levine said. “Now you have a U-turn problem. South of there, you have to use 890 — that’s inadvisable. It’s a terrible weaving situation, it’s confusing, you have to cross several lanes of traffi c to do anything you want to do there. To put more vehicles in that mess — including trucks who may not be familiar with the area — is not a good idea, to say the least.”
    Levine is generally a fan of roundabouts, noting that the sharp right turn forces drivers to slow down and makes it unlikely that they would hit another car head-on.
    “It eliminates fatal accidents,” he said. “You make it a sharply angled turn, if you hit someone, it’s a glancing blow.”
    But he doesn’t like the design of the Erie Boulevard roundabout at all. It’s too gentle, he said.
    “What they’re designing is, I would call it, an Erie Boulevard bypass. Cars and trucks will be able to whip through there. So you tell me. If the speed is the problem...I don’t think everybody’s being completely upfront with the public.”
    Clough Harbour officials declined to comment, saying they cannot speak on the issue without permission from the city.

I think everyone would agree that these two businesses really don't belong on Erie Blvd .. but this is the wrong way to do it.

The bookstore doesn't belong on Broadway/Bellevue - no more than Adult World belongs on Altamont Avenue.

I don't think that the these businesses belong on Erie either....BUT.... First is the gun shop. How can you not have it there when the police academy is just about a block away. Which the owner claims is his biggest customer? They would appear to go hand in hand. Although that business would flourish anywhere it re-locates to.

Second, as far as the adult book store, which I am not a fan of, should not be allowed to move into the Bellevue area. Those residents are trying to clean up their neighbor hoods as it is now.

So what provisions, zoning and guidelines does the city of Schenectady have for adult businesses? I believe that Clifton Park has a good handle on it...
http://www.cliftonpark.org/townhall/Pdf/adultusebusiness.pdf

As far as a round a bout, the jury is still out for me.  As of now, I like the very wide street. My only complaint is that the road/lanes are not marked. People just drive 'everywhere'.

But I think that we are all in agreement, that even if we are not a fan of the adult book store or the gun shop at it's present location, this is just another example of the strong arming the 'powers that be' continue to use. Making them relocate is one thing. Allowing them to relocate in areas where residents don't want them is quite another.

I have three distinct issues with the roundabout.

1. The disabled people will have a MUCH harder time crossing Erie Boulevard. With a roundabout, there is no solution to the problem.  The minute you put in a crosswalk/light - it becomes nothing more than a glorified, overpriced stop light intersection (there's already a crosswalk there).

2. A roundabout is designed to control access and reduce speeds at a 4 or 5 way intersection ... not a 3 way.  South Ferry NOR South Church bisect Erie Blvd - they're side streets off Erie.  The "official" entrance to the stockade is up on Erie - near the Gillette house - where the city already paid thousands of dollars for a brick walkway, markers, arches, etc to announce "Welcome to the Stockade".  Nothing on Ferry or Church, in that area, announce "now entering the Historic Stockade" - nor will they ever - the stockade doesn't start there, nor does it finish there.  

3. Turn arounds for the incoming and exiting Greyhound/Trailways busses will be nearly impossible.  They rely on a quick entrance to So Church St - a bus going through a roundabout turning left from So Ferry to Erie will be a nightmare. A bus turning left ON TO So. Ferry from Erie (coming off 890) will be a nightmare.

This area needs to be as wide open as possible to allow the best flow of traffic.  It's always going to be a "runway" - but speed CAN be controlled. As Bumble said, put markings on the road to show the lanes. Reduce and ENFORCE speed limits. Install cameras to automatically ticket speeders. Hell, even install more traffic lights if necessary (green be damned) - but a roundabout is not the answer IMHO.

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“We don’t want to move. We don’t want to come to Broadway. They’re forcing us to,” Palmer said. “We’re just a business like everyone else. I’ve been there 38 years, paid all the taxes — you know, a tavern has more problems. They call police five, six, seven times a year. We’ve never called them.”

Told ya'll it would be accesible to my baby's daddy's while my baby's mommy is in getting the 'services'--------all for the sake of ART-----kiss my ever lovin' butt...... > > > > > > > >

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Save nice building at gateway to Sch’dy

    Since I literally face this classically designed building almost every day as I wait for the traffic signal to change, I wonder: Is this the next building in Schenectady to be declared unusable?
    No. 1 State St. is a beautiful building facing the exit from I-890, greeting not only locals but visitors to the Schenectady area. It’s been boarded up for well over a year now. I envision kids or itinerants getting into the building and possibly causing a fire. I also envision allowing this building to sit in its current condition until the roof collapses and then it can’t be made usable. When such a situation arises, I imagine much outcry.
    There seems to be so much attention being paid to Erie Boulevard and the 400 block of State Street that other areas are being ignored.
    VIRGINIA GRANEY
    Scotia

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SCHENECTADY
Battle over Adult World brews Meeting set on relocation for roundabout
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

    The first public battle over the Erie Boulevard roundabout is expected today at the Schenectady Planning Commission meeting.
    Beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Room 110 at City Hall, the commission will review a proposal to move adult bookstore Another World from Erie Boulevard to lower Broadway. The relocation would make room for the roundabout, an idea that has been widely criticized by business owners and residents.
    When Another World owner Rocco Palmer last considered putting an adult bookstore at the lower Broadway site, in 2001, Bellevue neighborhood residents opposed the idea. This time, Palmer and his critics may become unlikely allies — none of them, including Palmer, want Another World on Broadway.
    “We don’t want to move. We don’t want to come to Broadway. They’re forcing us to,” Palmer said. “I feel sorry for the people over there.”
    Palmer says the city’s roundabout proposal was designed to force him out, and he’s already hired an engineer and an attorney to fight what may become an eminent domain battle.
    But if he has to move, he said, he’ll go to 1354 Broadway, where he’s owned a building for years.
    The domino effect of that relocation may also force one of the few manufacturing companies out of Schenectady. K&K Steel, which used to operate under the name National Welding & Fabrication, has leased 1354 Broadway for 14 years. Palmer has already told K&K co-owner Peter Kalil to be ready to move out on 30 days’ notice.
    Kalil, who hasn’t yet found a new home for his business, isn’t happy.
    “I’m going to become the victim. He’s being bought out and I’m being thrown out,” he said. “We’re playing musical chairs with business relocation and I’m just afraid I’ll be left without a seat when the music stops.”
    He needs a building in a light industrial zone that has space for 40-foot lengths of steel to be laid out across the floor. So far, those two requirements have eliminated every available space in the city.
    “I just have no places to go,” he said. “The last time I found something, it was in Amsterdam. I prefer to stay here.”
    The uncertainty has already affected his business. He’s hesitating to bid on major steel contracts because he’s not sure he’ll have a space to work in this fall.
    “Right now we’re bidding Niskayuna schools, but I don’t know … I can’t fabricate steel in the middle of the street,” Kalil said.
    As for the roundabout, he said it should simply be moved up one block, to Church Street, so that no one has to move.
    “Church Street, being the widest part of Erie, would be the place to put it, and you wouldn’t have to disturb any businesses,” he said.
    The Schenectady City Council has not yet approved the roundabout plan, but did give engineers permission to begin negotiating to buy the affected properties. Two buildings, both owned by Palmer, would have to be demolished: Another World and Special Arms & Muni-

Boy, as much as I hate to come out in FAVOR of Another World, this might actually be worth attending.

An adult bookstore does not belong in Bellevue on Broadway, just a few feet from the new Social Services Building.  Where would the Gun shop go? Maybe they can put that on Altamont Ave too?

This whole thing STINKS.

I quit understand you MT.

All this narrowing of the streets is driving people away, far away.  Except for those too drunk to notice.  Too drunk from patronizing all the watering holes downtown.  I was downtown the other day, had to go to the county building and decided to walk down to KFC so I told my wife just to meet me down there.  Gosh, the area in front of the Bank of America is rather scary.  Mental people hanging out there, then the people waiting for the bus, oh gosh, young ladies with strollers with babies in them, talking quite loudly on their cell phones, it was f this and f that and every other word in between.  Telling their babies to "shut the f up" and the "or I'm gonna give you a whoppin"   Kind of similar at the bus stop under the RR bridge.  In between those places, it was virtually deserted.

The vehicle traffic, ugh.  It was slowed to a crawl.  Why anyone would want to sit in traffic.  Then there's the bus stop under the bridge.  Four buses came at once.  Three fit along the curb, oh, maybe it was five buses and four fit.  In any event, the last bus in line was in the driving lane because before the bridge (going eastbond) there are cars parked at the curb.  And the bus had to wait until all the other buses left.  The buses had trouble getting out of the "pick up spots" because of traffic in the driving lane waiting at the red light (eastbound) at State & Broadway.  So, here's this bus waiting to pull over, sitting in the driving lane, and a back up of traffic behind him, crossing over Erie Blvd such that Erie Blvd was rather blocked off by the "train" of cars traveling eastbound on State behind the bus.

I have been there too MC1 and I have experienced the same. It is disgraceful! I would NEVER go downtown. I hate to even ride through the rat infested city. It has become nothing short of a welfare city. And the officials just love it cause they don't have many residents smart enough to oppose them. And if I were those business owners, I'd be packing my goods and movin' on up and out!!

These Schenectady officials sure like to try to make sh*t shine....but it sh*t still stinks!!