We are the impacted residents by the aggressive expansion of Bethlehem Children’s School (BCS) located 12 Fisher Blvd Slingerlands, NY. We urge you to join us restoring and preserving the safety, greenery, and peacefulness of OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. 

Fisher Blvd and New Scotland Ave are a safe and beloved jewel for dog walkers, joggers, and children biking throughout the year.  The Town, with extensive input from the community, established our neighborhood as “Residential Zoning A” with its Comprehensive Plan in 2005 and recently updated one in 2022.

The BCS is a private school allowed to operate on 12 Fisher Blvd with an enrollment of no more than 60 pupils and 6 staff according to their building permit. For nearly 20 years the parcel was well-blended in the neighborhood, often with much smaller enrollments of 15-20 individuals.  However, a recent change in the school’s management has brought an aggressive expansion policy and dramatically changed this carefully designed balance.

Soon after the beginning of the COVID pandemic in 2020, BCS applied for TEMPORARY USE PERMITS of a tipi and yurts ‘theoretically’ to generate classroom space for social distancing. Instead, the BCS increased its enrollment to more than 100 individuals and 40 staff. Also, in sharp contrast to their proclaimed ‘nature-friendly curriculum’, wooded lands were clear-cut to accommodate large tents (yurts) and playgrounds. Public lands were abused for  garbage receptacles (close to 10 or more) and parking lots. Many other structures were erected without Town approval, and even Porta-Potties have been hauled in to accommodate the unlawful surge in enrollment!  Traffic and congestion have significantly increased, and the health and safety of the neighborhood has been compromised, all without seeking any input from the impacted neighborhood members. For the last three years the neighborhood has suffered the excessive noise, odors, garbage, traffic, and parking.  For those same three years, the callous school managers have profited.

AND NOW, THE BCS HAS APPLIED FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO MAKE PERMANENT THE EXPANSION, YURTS, AND OUTHOUSES. A Planning Board Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday March 7 at 6:00 pm at Bethlehem Town Hall for community members’ opinions to be heard and taken into account.

We feel that, while education is of value, businesses and schools need to be placed in appropriate sectors of the Town that are zoned for this level of commerce and density. Should the current expansion be allowed to become permanent, those changes will forever destroy the carefully-designed character of our neighborhood and adversely impact our health, safety, peacefulness, and property values.

We ask that you please consider signing this petition to support the preservation of safety, peacefulness, and residential character of OUR neighborhood.  We ask the Planning Board to deny the BCS’ current Special Use Permit and Site Plan Application in its entirety because:

a.     it exceeds any reasonable measure of neighborhood density

b.     it brings unacceptable levels of disruption to our community (noise, pollution, traffic, etc.)

c.      its planned structures (yurts and outhouses) are entirely inconsistent with the character of our neighborhood and the Town Law

Your voice must be heard! Please send an email to PlanningBoard@townofbethlehem.org before 3:00 pm March 7. Thank you!