Colonial Lansingburgh is under attack! No, not by French & Indians, or the British, who actually did come as close as Schagticoke during the American Revolution. Colonial Lansingburgh is under attack by a fate far worse - "Invasion of the Suburbanites."

Last week we talked about the boundaries of Lansingburgh , the original and first city of Rensselaer County. In 1771, Abraham Jacob Lansing hired Albany surveyor Joseph Blanchard to divide his land into a rectangle of about 1300 by 2000 feet with 288 building lots, streets, alleys and a public park in the center. This area today coincides with First Avenue, 111th Street, 7th Avenue, and 114th Street.

For the last two hundred years, Colonial Lansingburgh has remained relatively distinct and intact as a historic residential area. Many of the businesses and industries of the 18th to 20th centuries located just outside these boundaries. Today, it's still mostly residential except a few areas along Fifth Avenue, 2nd Avenue, and 112th Street that have retail establishments in the form of gas stations, restaurants, and the like.

However, there is a move to transform Colonial Lansingburgh into a modern commercial center. The invasion began a few years ago when city founder Lansing's home was torn down for a Grand Union (itself now defunct). Further north near the Waterford bridge, stately mansions have been slowly replaced with a Price Chopper, Burgher King, shopping plaza, an aborted Eckard, and others. The trend is slowly marching south.

The area around 112th street and Second Avenue also succumbed to commercial attack. The intersection houses Stewart's with their characteristic "Hut" architecture, as well as sub shops, the Jehovah Witness, and an old abandoned tire center. There is currently a plan to demolish much of this area and replace it with a CVS drug store (something I predicted by the way over a year ago).

The public park that Lansing included in his original map has been taken over by a ball field that is fenced and locked most of the time. Only about a third of the park is available to the "public." This runs contrary to Lansing's intention as stated in his original map: "The Oblong Square in the Center is reserved for Public uses." That means ALL the public. There are rumblings among some burghers to bring it back to its original purpose.

Troy has a unique opportunity to turn Colonial Lansingburgh into a Colonial Georgetown. First, if the CVS drug store is approved, the company should be forced to design the store to fit within the scale of the area. NO ugly vanilla box. The building line should be right on Second Avenue, and in fact, the facade of the building should mimic the architectural styles of an 18th or 19th streetscape. There is a beautiful mansion just south of it.

Parking should be in the rear. The alley behind should not be destroyed since it's the alley system that makes the Burgh one of the more interesting areas as pointed out last week. Use the alley for the drive up portion of the business. This design should also alleviate the necessity of tearing any more historic buildings down.

You may remember the demolition derby that occurred last year when three important 18th century buildings were torn down after a fire, even though two of them were salvageable. The site has been replaced with a brand new "Ranch" style house. You read that correctly. Can anyone say 'design standards needed here?'

A program should be implemented to reward homeowners in Colonial Lansingburgh to get rid of aluminum siding and restore homes with natural cover. There is already a paint and sidewalk program that could be focused on the area as well.

Welcome signs should greet visitors at each entrance to Colonial Lansingburgh. I am reinstituting a historic plaque program that I began back in the 1980's so that any home owner can have a plaque that depicts the original lot number, original purchaser, and other information that can be gathered.

In essence, we need to take Colonial Lansingburgh and make it a heritage destination that can help generate an economic shot in the arm for the whole Burgh.

Self-guided and guided tours, special festivities centered around notable Burghers (Herman Melville, Chester Arthur, Lynde Palmer, for example), and other historic events can be encouraged and take place in the "public park."

Finally, the whole area should become a historic district and placed on the National Register.

By restoring Colonial Lansingburgh, it will only be a matter of time before the rest of the historic Burgh takes its place among the areas of economic renewal.