borders.“That’s a vision that we have—connectivity and walkability for people with trails,” Ostrander emphasizes. Plans call for linking the village of Ballston Spa through Milton to Saratoga Spa State Park, creating a continuous corridor for pedestrians and cyclists. MANAGING GROWTH: THE PLANNING BOARD’S TIGHTROPE WALK Milton’s governance structure creates unexpected tensions as development accelerates. Major projects bypass the town board entirely, proceeding through planning and zoning boards that operate independently. “Unfortunately, at the town level, which the council people and I control, these major projects that come forth in front of the town never usually make it to the town board level,” Ostrander explains. “That’s done at your planning and zoning board level.” This division of authority frustrates residents who blame elected officials for unchecked growth. “The town board gets blamed for everything that’s going on here with the infrastructure and how fast growth is going on,” Ostrander acknowledges.“I don’t govern the planning board or the zoning board. When these projects come in front of them for approval, it’s all done at that level.” Property rights further complicate growth management. Landowners selling to developers for “astronomical amounts” exercise legal options the town cannot restrict. Not In My Backyard (NIMBY) attitudes surface predictably as projects advance.“Over the years I’ve seen the NIMBY attitude from other people on certain projects, and when the projects were totally fulfilled, everything quieted down and people accepted them because it was part of progress,” Olenik observes. Limited commercial zoning provides natural growth boundaries.“We only have a certain amount of land 9 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07 MILTON, NY
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