I was told by somebody that they should have developed the Bender Mellon Farm into a Target. They said, it’s just an abandoned farm and I want a Target Big Box store near where I live. It seemed like that was always a short sighted way of looking at it – the location is much too rural for big box retail – and would congest up the narrow NY 85 and NY 85A further.

I am glad common sense prevailed. Shopping and development more generally belongs in populated areas. Not far offset from city services. A Target big box in that location might have been convenient for rural residents and those for Voorheesville but it would drive most of its traffic from urban locations closer to Albany and Guilderland. It would require regular bus service out there too for employees and totally change the character of Slingerlands and Voorheesville furthering sprawl all around it.

Now I’m not totally insensitive to land development. Land has value, taxes are expensive. But you can use it in ways consistent with local rural or urban uses. Indeed when I build my off grid homestead somewhere it’s going to involve the consumption of land. But it’s important to build in the right location and in a way that is consistent with the land. Convenience and cost are considerations but so is protecting doing right for the land. You want to be in a place where you are not antagonizing the neighborhood nor changing its character. It’s best to blend in.

I’m glad Bender Mellon Farm was preserved. It is a great place to watch birds and wildlife – I hope they keep the fields largely open either by mechanical means like brush hogging, haying or cattle. It reminds me a lot of the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center and connects up wonderfully with the rail trail facilities.