|
Editorial
Meeting complaints highlight 'master' need
Work on a new comprehensive, or master, plan for Cheektowaga is in its infancy, but complaints at Monday's town board meeting highlight reasons why the plan is sorely needed. The comprehensive plan will help guide town officials and leaders as they steer the town on a course toward the future. Complaints regarding housing and traffic indicate that there's a bumpy road ahead.
Cheektowaga's last master plan has been called "too vague" and lacking substance by those working on the new plan. It appears that the vagueness of the previous plan may have contributed to current problems outlined Monday.
Persons looking to move into a new area will take a close look at the housing base. A solid base indicates a strong community. The previous master plan offered little input on how the town would solidify or maintain its current stock. It's only attempt at future housing plans offered a brief plan to increase housing opportunities for seniors and ensuring new housing developments match the character of its surroundings. In other words, undeveloped land was addressed, but not neighborhoods that were already becoming distressed.
Traffic affecting the east-west corridors continues to raise its ugly head, as witnessed by complaints about reconstruction of Como Park Boulevard. When completed, the reconstructed and reinforced road will be better-equipped to handle heavy trucks. This will likely be the final blow to residents advocating relocation of a quarry's entrance from the boulevard to Broadway, a state route that is better equipped to handle commercial traffic. A reinforced Como Park Boulevard coupled with the William Street-Losson Road corridor, could provide Thruway officials with an argument that a Broadway interchange is not necessary.
The previous master plan noted that Broadway is underutilized and further indicated "concern" that through traffic associated with the Town of Lancaster will use Como Park, Losson and Bennett Road, "increasing the traffic through residential areas." The master plan's transportation goal indicated the town's desire to "ensure that future improvements are beneficial in shaping the environment of the town." However, when traffic began to snarl the William-Union Road-Losson intersection, the solution was to request the state to improve the intersection, instead of placing more pressure on Thruway officials to place traffic on the little-used Broadway thoroughfare. Residents suffer with heavy traffic because state and town officials dropped the ball.
As town leaders and comprehensive plan coordinators move forward, they must address traffic and housing issues that affect the entire town. The last plan was insufficient and residents today are paying a high price for these shortcomings.
| 
