ALBANY — Some uptown residents want to halt dense development in their neighborhoods that they say isn’t following proper regulations, will drastically change the character of the area, and put stress on the city’s infrastructure.

Others are pushing back, saying those in opposition simply don’t want development in their backyards, or things to change in Albany. They argue that denser development will make Albany more walkable and increase the tax base.

Eagle Hill resident Vincent Riguso has launched a ‘Stop the Stories’ campaign calling for a moratorium on development in Albany. It is supported by other residents opposed to recent developments and named to reflect their concerns over building heights.

He questioned why the new Unified Sustainable Development Ordinance, or USDO, isn’t keeping development consistent with existing neighborhood characteristics and isn’t considering impacts from the development on traffic, infrastructure and environmental concerns.

“It feels as if the goal, in actuality, is to bring in loads of renters at the expense of those of us who have been here for decades, if not generations, and who have been contributing to the community in all kinds of ways,” Riguso wrote in a letter to city officials recently.

The growing vocal opposition has prompted Walkable Albany founder Andrew Neidhardt to organize a counter rally to provide a different perspective.

“We have seen recently in the city that folks are opposing developments that are creating walkable communities in our city. They’re opposing it simply because it’s a change to the way things were,” he said. “We just want to be a voice in favor of development where it’s appropriate and it’s improving walkability for people.”

Both groups are expected to converge around 6 p.m. Monday at City Hall prior to the regular Common Council meeting.

Many of the proposed projects in Albany have brought up similar concerns among residents – increased traffic, possible exacerbation of stormwater issues, and destruction of the character of their neighborhoods. Key among those concerns is the height of the buildings.

The proposed six-story building at 1211 Western Ave. is one of several projects that has drawn the ire of the Stop the Stories group.

“We don’t want to stop development. That’s the last thing we want to do,” Riguso said. He said a building of that size doesn’t belong in his neighborhood.

The Western Avenue project would demolish an existing three-story office building to make way for a six-story, 137-unit apartment complex. It would be located next to the University at Albany’s administration building, which is four-stories, and is next to a gas station and strip mall along Western.

Opponents also suggest that the building material creates a fire hazard because it’s a wood structure. However, Albany Fire Chief Joseph Gregory said the projects are up to federal, state and local code and he’s approved the plans for the Western Avenue project.

The site is zoned for up to five stories and the developer plans to install a blue or green roof as part of an incentive that will allow another story.

Albany Planning Commissioner Chris Spencer said previous zoning would have allowed for a building up to 85 feet, which is roughly eight stories.

The additional story incentive offered through installing green or blue roofs – those with either vegetation on top to absorb rainfall or retention tanks to collect water until it can be released during dry weather – has become popular among developers looking to make a proposal financially viable.

Each new development’s stormwater runoff can be no more than what would come from the site undeveloped during a 10-year storm, Albany Water Department Commissioner Joseph Coffey said. That means each project is doing “significant” stormwater detention, meanwhile the city continues to invest millions in stormwater management efforts from diversion and detention to new technology for monitoring and management, he said.

“We have requirements that we have to meet with best management projects as part of our Combined Sewer Overflow permit, and we’re meeting those,” Coffey said. “They are factored into our reviews of every one of those projects, and if they can’t be done, we can’t approve the project.”

Common Councilperson Judy Doesschate has proposed postponing the blue/green roof incentive until at least the end of June 2020 to determine whether it's benefiting the city. The planning department is proposing something similar, but the moratorium isn’t as long.

“If we’re getting no additional benefit from this blue roof or green roof technology, why are we upsetting the general scheme of the USDO with regard to what we already determined were appropriate height requirements for each individual zone?” Doesschate said.

She said the multi-building, mixed-use project proposed for 563 New Scotland Ave. will rise as high as five stories, with one of its buildings contrasting with the majority of the one and two-story buildings in the neighborhood. It is across from St. Peter’s Hospital.

The area is zoned for buildings to be as high as 3 ½ stories, but the developer is installing a green roof and has received a variance to allow for five stories.

Spencer said the planning and the water departments are assessing the benefits of the mechanisms but noted the water department does see value in them. Development overall can benefit the city, he said.

“Adding development and growing the tax base has benefits for people’s property taxes, for the services we can provide and the quality we can have throughout the city,” Spencer said. “You can’t tax your way out of things, you have to grow your way out.”

Doesschate cautioned that with developers receiving tax breaks, the city gets a fraction of the tax money due for several years before the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes, or PILOT, expires.

The city receives at least the taxes due based on the undeveloped property’s value, but taxes on the improvements are phased in depending on the agreement.