Shen land sale a win-win for everyone

I would like to address the issue of the Shen land sale.

As a parent to three students of the Shen school district, I will be voting yes on April 4 and I would encourage everyone who is eligible to participate in the referendum vote to do the same.

The sale of the 34-acre land parcel at the corner of 146 and Moe Road is currently held by the Shenendehowa School District. There is currently a $2.05 million offer from BBL Construction, which would put revenue back into the district, so that it may purchase land in another part of the county for future use. Currently, Shen is one of the only districts in our region to still have half-day kindergarten due to space limitations. (Although kindergarten enrollment has declined slightly, that is due primarily to private enrollment in full-day kindergarten programs.)

Additionally, BBL’s bid would also donate approximately half (about 18 acres) back to the town of Clifton Park, preserving a wooded buffer between the playground of the adjacent elementary school.

Opposition to the deal is led primarily by supporters of open-spaces, who argue that the entire parcel should be maintained as a park. I see several problems with this position. First off, the bid by the town of Clifton Park (who presumably would retain the parcel as a green area) was less than half of the BBL offer and due to nonconformity of their response, was eliminated from consideration. Secondly, the other two bids for the property were also provided by developers, who did not offer a donation of some of the land. Lastly, there is no guarantee that a subsequent RFP solicitation would result in the space remaining an “open space.”

Opponents argue that southern Saratoga “needs” a central park space, however, I reside near both the Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve (700 acres) as well as the Mohawk Landing Nature Preserve (6 acres), both part of the over 2,000 acres of “Clifton Park Open Spaces” and while I enjoy both parks regularly, I don’t believe the loss of 18 acres in the center of Clifton Park will be a detriment to the preservation of our open spaces.

If the sale to BBL is approved, the 18 acres that would be donated to the Town would be retained as green space, while allowing the other half of the parcel to be developed per zoning guidelines, putting that parcel of developed land back on the tax roll.

The Shen land sale, if approved, will result in an inflow of cash to our school district, improvement of our childrens’ education, an 18-acre park space and additional tax revenue from a developed parcel. Voting yes on April 4 will be a win for our children and our community. — Meghan A. Usmani Clifton Park