Troy mayor wants to replace planning commission

Dozens of Troy community members came to Thursday's finance meeting to listen to the members of the current planning commission. Most of those in attendance disagreed with the mayor's resolution to form a new planning board and appoint her own members.

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -The future of Troy’s planning commission is in question as the Mantello administration looks to create a new board. If a bill proposing the new planning board is adopted, the current commission members will lose their positions.

Mayor Carmela Mantello says the last six months have given her administration the opportunity to combine her vision with some previous ideas and practices. In that time, the mayor sees this collaboration between her administration and the planning commission as inefficient.

"Unfortunately, what I have witnessed is either stalling; personal preferences unfortunately getting in the way of good projects," stated Mayor Mantello.

The last time Troy went through a change like this was in 2004 when Mayor Harry Tutunjian replaced the planning commission with a planning board. It returned to a planning commission in 2012 under Mayor Lou Rosamilia.

Dozens of Troy community members came to Thursday's finance meeting to listen to the members of the current planning commission. Most of those in attendance disagreed with the mayor's resolution to form a new planning board and appoint her own members.

"118. That's the number of projects that have come before the planning commission in the last three years. None were rejected," stated Suzanne Spellen.

Mayor Mantello says big-name projects like the Taylor Apartments have been delayed to the point of being in jeopardy. She says if this continues, the City risks being sued. "Due to having to go back to the planning commission numerous times. Being told initially, y'know, scale down the project. Then it’s we need something else for the project."

If the commission is more upfront with its demands, the mayor says it would be fair to the developers who are spending money to improve the Collar City. But current commission members argue that if the administration has a problem with their work, it should be having more discussions with them.

"Over the past six months, there's been no official or unofficial communication, at least to me, about our merit, our decision-making, our attendance, or anything like that," described James Rath.

If the bill to repeal the current planning commission does pass, Mayor Mantello told NEWS10's Anthony Krolikowski that a new planning board should be accepting members and ready to work in August.