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Public, private sectors offer example of civility
Editorial
Something remarkable happened at Monday's Town Board meeting. It was announced that a company intent on building apartments in a neighborhood consisting mostly of single-family homes, actually bowed to the wishes of its neighbors and has scrapped its plans. There was no drawn-out battle between developer and residents, no threat of lawsuits. Developers and local officials should take note and use this as a blueprint as the town moves forward with updating its master plan.
While we are pro-development, we believe in a responsible approach that will benefit residents and businesses alike. When the two sides butt heads, the result is typically one that does nothing to make Cheektowaga a better place to live and conduct business. That was not the case in this situation.
To review, a developer sought to build 24 apartments on property off Cayuga Creek Road. Residents attended a public hearing in droves to voice their opposition to the project, but their objections were not of the "not in my backyard" variety. Instead, they said the development would contribute to traffic woes, jeopardize pedestrian safety near a high school, add to a glut of vacant apartments nearby and alter neighborhood aesthetics. Residents did not get personal; they simply stated their beliefs and fears. They provided, mostly, valid reasons. To their credit, the developers listened.
Compare the apartment situation to one involving competing doughnut franchises. Developers appear to be in a race to claim the crown of cruller king in Cheektowaga. To do so, they have each picked a location for a doughnut store that could have major negative consequences on area traffic. Despite pleas from the public to look for a different location, they persist. Only a 90-day building moratorium on drive-through businesses has stopped- temporarily- the insanity.
Would Cheektowaga benefit from two additional doughnut franchises within a few hundred feet of each other along William Street? This, ultimately, is the question that must be answered. However, similar questions must be asked as other commercial requests come before the town.
Would a new store "shell" benefit the town when there exists tens of thousands of square feet of vacant retail space within a two-mile radius of the region's largest shopping mall? How much additional traffic generated by new businesses can town streets handle? Are there neighborhoods that could truly benefit from businesses like these? These are all questions that residents have brought to the town board in recent years.
Why the apartment developers didn't further pursue their request is not fully clear. They may have simply realized that their plan was unfeasible. They no doubt would prefer to have walked out of Town Hall bearing construction permits. Still, they exhibited decorum by gracefully withdrawing their request. Their decision, and the residents' approach to the situation, should be used as a prime example of how to address future development in Cheektowaga.
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