Rotterdam and the Capital District Transportation Committee held their second workshop the other night on a land-use plan for Route 5S between the Exit 26 interchange and the Schenectady International plant. This is an area that could stand some development, but it needs to be the right kind, in the right places and in the right amount. From the looks of things, town officials understand this. Supervisor Steven Tommasone says he envisions a little industrial development at either end, and perhaps a bit more housing on the non-river side of Route 5S; but he wants the area to stay mostly as is, while adding green space and leisure opportunities. That means keeping 5S a twolane road. It means preserving the general village feel and the agricultural feel around the historic Mabee Farm. It means developing a dock somewhere along the river (there is already a plan for one at the Mabee Farm), and perhaps a park at the former Bonded Concrete site now owned by the town. It means improvements to Kiwanis Park, better connections to the bike trail, and maybe some appropriate canal development. This thinking fits with the study area’s limitations: It is near the aquifer and in a flood zone. While these factors haven’t prevented development in the past in Rotterdam, under Tommasone, with this and another plan for the Exit 25 area, there are signs the town is getting smarter about growth.
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