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Editorials
While being praised for “pulling” the proposed Wal-Mart modified site plan approval from last night’s resolution agenda for further review, and addition of conditions that were not present in the 2002 approved site plan, the Lancaster Town Board was disparaged for allowing other development in the area that will cause serious vehicular conflict points and accidents.
The town board proposes adding the following conditions to the Wal-Mart site plan that will make the site safer for vehicular traffic along Transit Road, William Street and within the site. New lanes will be added on both roads, truck access to the store from William Street will not be allowed and truck traffic on site will be restricted as well.
Among the other conditions being considered and considered noteworthy is the elimination of the tire and lube service operation.
Access Management
Resident Dan Beutler asked the board on the status of the Access Management ordinance that was being drafted by the Towns of Cheektowaga and Lancaster. “What is the time limit on its being completed?”
Town Engineer Robert Harris answered that is a coordinated review and a SEQR process is in motion with the Town of Cheektowaga and that by August the ordinance should be completed.
Beutler went on to say:
The reason I ask is because of the development that is taking place on Transit Road between William and French Road and off of William Street.
The number of curb cuts on Transit Road keep increasing, as well as and the number of conflict points and the potential for vehicular accidents and serious injuries.
The recent approval of the Aldi’s and their permitting to dump their traffic on the existing Rite Aid driveway without width improvements is ridiculous.
There is no immediate plan to develop the Flix property and interconnectivity to the Wal-Mart signal is off in the future – if ever.
Hearing now that when Wal-Mart goes into operation, the present curb cut by the Sunoco gas station remains is ludicrous.
Signalization at Wal-Mart is about 600 feet away from Transit, the Rite-Aid driveway a few hundred feet west of that, and then across the street and to the west the Sunoco gas station another driveway, you call that smart and acceptable planning? I don’t.
We need an Access Management law and one that has the legal capacity to ensure compliance and enforcement. Listen to the residents on this one. We want to support the neighborhood businesses and do so with safe travel conditions.
Council member Donna Stempniak declared that she visits the area on a regular basis and does see it to be as bad as Beutler. Council member Dan Amatura interjected that getting out of the Rite-Aid is already an unsafe adventure and said that he agreed with Beutler’s assessment of the situation.
Chowaniec addresses board
Resident Lee Chowaniec referred to the town’s Comprehensive Master Plan Findings Statement language that reads:
“The comprehensive plan is viewed as a means of planning for growth to achieve a desired vision and to protect the existing community character and quality of living that existing residents enjoy and have contributed to over the years.”
It also reads: “The recommendations and action items will help the Town to focus on a common vision, continue to address current issues that face the community, and prepare for anticipated future development and associated impacts.”
Referring to the Aldi’s development Chowaniec informed the board that when the project was discussed before the Planning Board the subject of widening the Rite-Aid driveway and access approach was discussed. Safety concerns on entering and exiting the driveway off William Street was focused on.
During those planning board discussions Benderson Development attorney Peter Sorgi informed the board that as Benderson did not own the property they were unable to make any improvements. He also stated that Rite-Aid was not considering making any improvements.
Planning Board Chair Stanley Keysa made mention that perhaps the county would make improvements. That is not going to happen, nor should it! Using taxpayer money to make improvements for private enterprise is ridiculous.
County opinion
Avoiding the area
When visiting the Town Clerk’s office to find out whether there was any recent plan submitted to widen the driveway or approach, I discovered there was no such plan. While informing Town Clerk Johanna Coleman on the difficulty of entering and exiting the Rite-Aid safely to shop there, Ms. Coleman told me not to go there.
I took exception to that considering I live nearby to the Transit-William intersection and have been doing my shopping at Rite-Aid since the store opened. In addition, I frequent the local Lancaster businesses along Transit Road.
One of the positives of the proposed Access Management ordinance is to encourage people to come into an area to shop with readily available and safe access points. If anything we have a situation here that discourages people from coming into the area.
It was assumed by the town Aldi’s would connect their driveway to the long-ago proposed Flix development driveway that would be relocated and aligned with the future signalized Wal-Mart driveway. Bella Vista is sitting on the Flix development.
It was also assumed that when the Wal-Mart went into operation that the William Street driveway that services the businesses along Transit Road (Sunoco, Wendy’s, Applebee’s) would be closed off. Not so says Wal-Mart. We have no control over that driveway.
So on William Street we will have a signalized Wal-Mart driveway approximately 600 feet from Transit Road, a narrow driveway that will service Rite-Aid and Aldi’s customers approximately 300 feet to the west of the Wal-Mart driveway (with no turning lane or signalization), and across the another street (about 60 feet to the west) another driveway with no signalization or turning lane.
Had we an Access Management ordinance in place already, one would hope the Aldi’s would have been denied access onto William Street. When Steve Munson, NYS Department of Transportation, was asked at the joint Towns public hearing as to whether the regulatory agencies would work together with the municipalities to deny cub cuts, he answered that should the municipality deny site plan approval, curb cuts become a moot point; they can’t happen.
The Aldi’s site plan should not have been approved without an agreement in place for connectivity with the signalized driveway. Only Council member Dan Amatura voted against site plan approval, realizing full well the unsafe conditions that exist without proper mitigation.
The town should re-read the comprehension plan to gain an understanding of what best serves to protect the best interests of the community.
The committee in charge of the Access Management program needs to get something in place before full Transit Road development takes place; where the horse has left the barn before the doors are closed; something in place that has some teeth to ensure compliance and enforcement.
© Copyright 2008 by Speakupwny.com
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