How to resolve AdBlock issue? The building is proposing a main height of 110 feet with extra rooftop stacks at a height of 125 feet maximum. This Saturday, four red balloons will be placed at or near the four corners of the proposed building and will fly at 125 feet to give residents an idea of how the building will impact the visibility of certain parts of the town. A single blue “spotter” balloon will hang in the middle of the grounds at 175 feet as a way to assist viewers in locating the red balloons. The blue balloon will not represent any height of the building.
Town of Malta building and planning director Anthony Tozzi said the town is asking for more input because this will be the first fab campus to be seen from certain parts of Malta and Stillwater.
“We definitely did a visual impact analysis [with the first Fab], but the conclusion was that Fab 8.1 wouldn’t be seen from anywhere except the Luther Forest Technology Campus,” Tozzi said. “This time, a portion of the building would be visible from Riley Cove Road and from Snake Hill Road in Stillwater.”
Though residents can tour the grounds on their own, the town is offering a guided tour that will start at 9 a.m. Participants will be required to provide their own transportation, but will follow the tour guide in a car that will have multiple balloons tied to it and the Town of Malta town seal on the driver-side door. The estimated time to conduct the tour is expected to be 90 minutes with a five-minute stop at each tour site. Maps will be provided to those who wish to tour the site individually.
Tozzi said the Malta Town Board hopes this opportunity will help residents to understand the building and in a way, “see it for themselves.”
“They want anyone who’s interested to be able to see it for themselves because otherwise what’s in the BEIS are simply photographs and these balloons give folks the opportunity to see generally what the building will look like,” Tozzi said.
Tozzi also said GlobalFoundries gave the town board an animated video produced by Saratoga Associates to show different views of the building when traveling through certain roads.
“[The video] shows two views of what someone would see if they were traveling from north to south of Round Lake and also from west to east from Riley Cove to Snake Hill Road,” he said. “The video isn’t on the town’s website yet, but it will be available soon for residents to watch.”
After the tour, the town board is encouraging residents to give their feedback on whether the visibility of the proposed building will considered to be serious/high magnitude of adverse impact, average/moderate magnitude or slight/low magnitude of adverse impact as part of the town’s standardized scale. Additional comments on the visibility will also be welcomed.
“The information given will be digested by the town board, and at that point they’ll need to weigh those replies and decide how to respond to them or if they need to respond to them,” Tozzi said. “Part of the discretionary SEQR review process is to receive feedback from residents, so the town will listen.”
Tozzi said that though he has heard some people voice their opinions on the visibility of the new fab, it hasn’t been nearly as controversial as past noise issues and the building of roundabouts in town.
“There definitely hasn’t been an onslaught of commenters,” Tozzi said. “Remarks I’ve heard have been more about the information produced than how they view the visual impact, although that’s been expressed as well.”
Comments can be made to the town by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., calling Anthony Tozzi at (518) 899-2685, faxing (518) 899-4719, or by mail to Flo Sickels, Town Clerk at 2540 Route 9, Malta, N.Y.
The balloons will be placed on the grounds May 4 from 8 a.m.–Noon. The town recommends bringing binoculars, street maps and/or a camera for better viewing. In the event of inclement weather or excessive wind, the public viewing will be rescheduled to be conducted Saturday, May 11; same hours. If the event is rescheduled, it will be announced on the Town of Malta website at www.malta-town.org.
Suggested Public Viewing:
- From Town Hall muster point, proceed to the Fab 8 Campus main entrance roundabout (just outside the gate) and verify that the balloons are in the air.
- Proceed to the intersection of Wafer Way and Cold Springs Road.
- Proceed to Stewarts at the intersection of Route 9P and Lake Road.
- Proceed along Route 9P to the end of Snake Hill Road.
- Continue North on Route 9P and consider stopping near the Saratoga Lake Motel, just north of the intersection with Fitch Road.
- Proceed to the opposite shore of Saratoga Lake and drive along Manning Cove Road which turns into Manning Road heading south.
- Proceed to Riley Cove along Riley Cove Road. A good vantage point is just to the south of the intersection between Riley Cove Road and Manning Road.
- Proceed back to Route 9P and then take Plains Road south to the Malta Community Park.
- Proceed west to the Route 9/67/Dunning roundabout; then travel south along Route 9 to the Route 9/67/Round Lake Bypass; and then travel 1.9 miles east along Route 67 to the Round Lake Nature Preserve located on the right.
