Spare us from “planners”

I read the plan proposed in the shoe shine rag today for the area around Blvd Mall. You can tell the “planners” like Kulpa are running things because the article sings the praises of things like “rain gardens”. For those unitiated to the modern jargon of “planning” a “rain garden” is a new technique for controlling storm water runoff. Essentially, it’s a hole in the ground, lined with rocks and pretty flowers to make it look acceptable into which storm water runs and then sits until it slowly percolates into the ground. Those who have paid attention to land use disputes in Amherst have heard the “banana” crowd in Amherst whine for years about the clay soils in Amherst with their relative impermeability. Now, through the miracle of “planning” the impermeabilty issue has apparently magically vanished and “rain gardens” will solve our storm water runoff problems. Allow me to suggest an alternative name for “rain gardens”; I suggest we call them “mosquito maternity wards”. And Kulpa, again employing his magical powers as a “planner”, has divined the desires of future generations for “pedestrian spaces”. This is magical along the lines of Harry Potter type stuff, future generations aren’t even born yet, that’s what makes them future generations. And Kulpa has no better idea what they’ll want than you or I do. To the extent he pretends otherwise, he’s just another arrogant fraud.

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Allow me to suggest an alternative name for “rain gardens”; I suggest we call them “mosquito maternity wards”.

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They would have issues trying to pass stuff if they said it for what it is.

"The NY Safety Act" should just be called "Gun Control Act"

Etc

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Originally Posted by grump

I read the plan proposed in the shoe shine rag today for the area around Blvd Mall. You can tell the “planners” like Kulpa are running things because the article sings the praises of things like “rain gardens”. For those unitiated to the modern jargon of “planning” a “rain garden” is a new technique for controlling storm water runoff. Essentially, it’s a hole in the ground, lined with rocks and pretty flowers to make it look acceptable into which storm water runs and then sits until it slowly percolates into the ground. Those who have paid attention to land use disputes in Amherst have heard the “banana” crowd in Amherst whine for years about the clay soils in Amherst with their relative impermeability. Now, through the miracle of “planning” the impermeabilty issue has apparently magically vanished and “rain gardens” will solve our storm water runoff problems. Allow me to suggest an alternative name for “rain gardens”; I suggest we call them “mosquito maternity wards”. And Kulpa, again employing his magical powers as a “planner”, has divined the desires of future generations for “pedestrian spaces”. This is magical along the lines of Harry Potter type stuff, future generations aren’t even born yet, that’s what makes them future generations. And Kulpa has no better idea what they’ll want than you or I do. To the extent he pretends otherwise, he’s just another arrogant fraud.

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Stormwater management is critical and a properly constructed and maintained rain gardern does not have mosquito issues. Now if you want to say they won't be built correctly or maintained...that's one thing. But the idea itself is the correct on. It's also a lot more technical than you describe or understand. Source: I live with someone who has extensive stormwater and soil toxicity industry experience in multiple municipalities. :witless:


As for your itch with Kulpa, you're free to think what you want but there are some facts that you seem to want to ignore.

1 - The neighborhood that includes and surrounds the mall was deemed eligible by the federal government for a new tax incentive meant to encourage investment in low-income communities. That means no matter how much you think of the area, the reality is it is on the decline or already there. Something needs to be done.

2 - The mall is circling the drain. I pointed this out back in March of 2015 and there were idiots like Member 2358 who didn't see a problem. The boiling frog and all. The valuation of the property has been cut in half and that's after the previous cut when it was sold. You can bet your metamucil that they will be seeking a property tax reduction and it's going to sting.

3 - Kulpa is an architect and urban planner. You may not like what he has to say but on this subject it his professional opinion. Kulpa is thinking about the kids in school right now not those in the senior center. I am pretty sure that's your disconnect.



At the end of the day, something needs to happen at this site. This part of the town is already the worst part of the town. That's not an insult but just the reality. It's also the best opportunity for the town. For the kids in school right now.

Amherst dropped the ball with how they leveraged UB. The northeast end of the campus could have been downtown Chapel Hill or Ann Arbor. But instead the leaders of the town took the lazy road and allowed crappy apartments and low density commercial. Mistakes were made.

With all due respect Leftie, you know nothing about what I understand about rain gardens or storm water control. As a matter of fact the town already has a comprehensive storm water management law on its books. As for Kulpa, I don’t care if he’s an architect and planner or Queen of the May. He knows nothing about what unborn generations will want and if he says he does, which he certainly did, he’s full of crap. He’s free to guess, of course, but his guess is no better than yours or mine. He can think about kids in school right now but they’re an existing generation not a future one. Everyone knows the mall is circling the drain. Because the assessed valuation has been reduced they’ve got their tax reduction. They’ll pay the rate/thousand $ of assessed valuation which has already been reduced and the malls taxes will fall. If they want in on the $10 million program handed out by the regional development council they’d better crank up the graft machine in a hurry. It’s now administered by ESDC, which took over most of Cuomo’s “ economic development” programs when the indictments started flying 18 months or so ago.

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Originally Posted by grump

With all due respect Leftie, you know nothing about what I understand about rain gardens or storm water control. As a matter of fact the town already has a comprehensive storm water management law on its books.

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I made an inference based on your comments. Rain gardens and other tools are fantastic for stormwater systems as it reduces the pressure on the network and puts the costs to the property. Many towns are forcing such items on residential new construction and improvements that increase the surface area.

Like I said before, if you want to talk about the 1,000 ways it could go wrong due to incompetence or corruption...you won't hear an argument from me.

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Originally Posted by grump

As for Kulpa, I don’t care if he’s an architect and planner or Queen of the May. He knows nothing about what unborn generations will want and if he says he does, which he certainly did, he’s full of crap. He’s free to guess, of course, but his guess is no better than yours or mine.

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Sorry but I don't agree. Urban planners and architects can/do make mistakes but their opinions are absolutely more informed than you or I or anyone who has not gone through the formal training. I give respect to the title but that does not mean I agree with or don't question what they say.

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Originally Posted by grump

Everyone knows the mall is circling the drain. Because the assessed valuation has been reduced they’ve got their tax reduction. They’ll pay the rate/thousand $ of assessed valuation which has already been reduced and the malls taxes will fall. If they want in on the $10 million program handed out by the regional development council they’d better crank up the graft machine in a hurry. It’s now administered by ESDC, which took over most of Cuomo’s “ economic development” programs when the indictments started flying 18 months or so ago.

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Not everyone knows the mall is circling the drain. I pointed out someone who didn't here and I have had conversations with others about the subject of malls who don't see it. It's a minority opinion for sure but it does exist.

As for going after the grant....are you suggesting that they shouldn't or are you suggesting there are better options for the town? The money is going to be dished out regardless so it seems pretty silly not to go after grants. It's not like they are going to cut checks to taxpayers if they can't find anyone to take the money.

Leftie, I guess we just don’t agree on the issue of Kulpa’s fortune telling abilities. Exactly how many generations can he see into the future, I wonder. I actually gave serious consideration to studying urban planning some years ago but I must confess I don’t remember too many courses on predicting the future. Tell you what though, I think I’ll have him start picking my lotto numbers in the future just in case.

And I didn’t suggest that they shouldn’t apply for the grant. I simply pointed out that in the current ambiance in NYS decisions regarding the distribution of economic development dollars are made based on, shall we say, “novel” grounds. A prime criterion for success in the application process seems to be the number of 0000’s on one’s contribution check to the current administration. That this process has been transferred to ESDC tells me only that they’re not dumb enough to put it all on the office email for all the world to see. And I know you come back to town from time to time, so I’m certain that you’re aware that for much of the footprint of the mall on the NFB side, there already exist a number of storm water detention ponds that have been there for years. One can line them with pretty stones, throw in some plant species that soak up water and haul out the “newspeak” to call them “rain gardens” , I guess, but it’s not exactly new. And I’m all for permeable materials in parking lots (wait, I guess that assumes that soothsayer Kulpa might be wrong about everyone wanting to walk everywhere in the future) but these materials don’t always mesh well with the the harsh realities of snow plowing 5 months or more months of the year. For that matter, “pedestrian friendly” doesn’t always mesh well with harsh realities of wind driven snow 5 months of the year.

Kulpa’s gonna have his hands full of “ planning” over the next several months. Remember the night and day coverage a couple weeks back on a local news channel that purports to “hold people in power accountable” about a woman killed by a car on Niagara Falls Blvd. (on the holding the powerful accountable issue, set aside for a minute the fact that more people have been murdered in Buffalo this year than have been fatally hit by cars on that section of the Blvd in the last 5 years combined and the murders barely merit a mention on that station). Kulpa has announced that they’re going to come up with a “plan” to do something about NFB and the plan will involve meetings with “stakeholders”. I’m sure everyone knows who stakeholders are...they’re the group allowed to participate in the plan because they’re on board with, and support, the pre ordained decision. Of course the meetings will take some time. The goal is to have plan by July 2019! A crisis indeed! Into the bargain , the state, whose road it actually is already has a study underway.

Can you point to any groups, regardless of size, that have voiced concerns about issues or requested to participate in the process that have been shut out by Kulpa?

Look, WNY is about as small time as it comes. A story of 'concerned residents' makes the 11 news it's so small. I am sure if you could get 10 people together you would be able to get a sit down meeting. If you didn't, I am sure one of the local news stations would have no issue running a story on that and put it on the 5, 6 and 11 news.

Leftie, I don’t believe they’ve started the planning for the blvd yet. And if a majority of the board isn’t involved in the meetings, then the meetings are not subject to the notice requirements of the open meetings law. And then of course there are the meetings that take place in private & outside the public meetings where decisions are really made while the public meetings are a showcase for public officials. So there’s that.

What’s all the planning going to do when pedestrians continue to cross busy streets outside of crosswalks? Many of these accidents occurred as pedestrians were cutting across the street, not too smart. Let’s throw millions at it so we can all feel good about it until the next one gets whacked, or maybe lower the speed limit in response to an accident that was caused by a drowsy driver, makes even more sense.

Dan, just this morning at 8 am I witnessed just what you are saying at the corner of Yale and NFB. Woman crossing from Amherst side, dressed for work & portfolio in hand, to get to the NFTA bus stop on the Tonawanda side. The bus stop is about 50 yards south of NFB & Yale at a signaled intersection of NFB and, I believe, Decatur Ave in Tonawanda. Instead of walking the 50 or so yards to the signaled intersection which she had to do anyhow to reach the bus stop, and crossing at the signaled intersection, out she wanders into traffic from Yale into the Blvd. She got caught in the middle, traffic whizzing by in both direction, until 2 school buses, running in parallel on the south bound lane of NFB, slowed significantly and held up following traffic so she could cross. You can’t plan for stupid or lazy.

have any of the NFB pedestrians hit in the last few years been at a proper crosswalk and crossing with the signal?
I see the idiots all the time. On Millersport too. Too lazy to walk a little farther to the intersection and they are standing in the turning lane

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Originally Posted by grump

Dan, just this morning at 8 am I witnessed just what you are saying at the corner of Yale and NFB. Woman crossing from Amherst side, dressed for work & portfolio in hand, to get to the NFTA bus stop on the Tonawanda side. The bus stop is about 50 yards south of NFB & Yale at a signaled intersection of NFB and, I believe, Decatur Ave in Tonawanda. Instead of walking the 50 or so yards to the signaled intersection which she had to do anyhow to reach the bus stop, and crossing at the signaled intersection, out she wanders into traffic from Yale into the Blvd. She got caught in the middle, traffic whizzing by in both direction, until 2 school buses, running in parallel on the south bound lane of NFB, slowed significantly and held up following traffic so she could cross. You can’t plan for stupid or lazy.

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You can't fix stupid but you can plan for it and around it. Wouldn't moving the southbound stop to the south corner of Decatur & NFB solve the issue? Same thing with moving the one before it to where the crosswalk from Longmeadow crosses?

It seems to me the location of the stops are arbitrary.

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Originally Posted by leftWNYbecauseofBS

You can't fix stupid but you can plan for it and around it. Wouldn't moving the southbound stop to the south corner of Decatur & NFB solve the issue? Same thing with moving the one before it to where the crosswalk from Longmeadow crosses?

It seems to me the location of the stops are arbitrary.

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Two comments. 1) There already is a set of traffic lights at NFB & Longmeadow. 2) I'm not experienced or educated enough to understand why, but there is a disproportionate incident of failure to stop for the red light northbound. I can only speculate that it might have something (I know not what) to do with visibility of the light. Sun?, Grade?, Angle?, Distance perception?, Glare? I dunno.

Seems to me that the area with the most opportunity would be the best part of town.

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Originally Posted by leftWNYbecauseofBS

You can't fix stupid but you can plan for it and around it. Wouldn't moving the southbound stop to the south corner of Decatur & NFB solve the issue? Same thing with moving the one before it to where the crosswalk from Longmeadow crosses?

It seems to me the location of the stops are arbitrary.

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The stop is at the southbound corner of Dactur and NFB. As I said had she walked to the signaled intersection she would’ve ended up right at her destination without the thrill of crossing NFB at rush hour in the middle of the block. It’s impossible to plan for stupidity because stupid people are so clever. But if there’s a rhyme or reason to the placement bus stops you couldn’t prove it be me.

Just tossing this in for digestion, etc... As "bad" as NFB may be considered, I'll travel it gladly rather than - the sometimes considered it's twin - Transit Road. Even being equi-distant to the two, I will avoid Transit in favor of NFB in a heartbeat. Transit Road is the black sheep thoroughfare of the Town of Amherst, IMO.

Leftie, my bad. The stop is on the northbound side of of the intersection. I suppose to put it south of the light would require that it be moved well south so that the ass end of the bus doesn’t block Decatur. I’m not sure that moving it south of Dactur would change the behavior I saw the other day. Maybe because the stop is farther away and the desire to cross NFB doesn’t seem so immediate? But if it’s moved too far south then people will simply try to cross in the vicinity of the stop, crosswalk or not. But I bike that area and the light is by far the safest crossing in that part of the Blvd. as things currently stand. Certainly safer than plunging headlong across the Blvd. Then again this isn’t in the killing zone that has the tv station’s panties knotted in a bunch so who really cares. Actually when it comes down to it the placement of the bus stops is immaterial, the only safe place to cross a busy street is at a signaled intersection.

2358, Transit is a state road so Amherst and Clarence have to work with DOT, never any easy thing to do.

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Originally Posted by Member 2358

Seems to me that the area with the most opportunity would be the best part of town.

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Opportunity does not equal results. The reason why this area has the most opportunity in the town is that it's in need of the most work and is low enough in value to make redevelopment possible.

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Originally Posted by grump

Leftie, my bad. The stop is on the northbound side of of the intersection. I suppose to put it south of the light would require that it be moved well south so that the ass end of the bus doesn’t block Decatur. I’m not sure that moving it south of Dactur would change the behavior I saw the other day. Maybe because the stop is farther away and the desire to cross NFB doesn’t seem so immediate? But if it’s moved too far south then people will simply try to cross in the vicinity of the stop, crosswalk or not. But I bike that area and the light is by far the safest crossing in that part of the Blvd. as things currently stand. Certainly safer than plunging headlong across the Blvd. Then again this isn’t in the killing zone that has the tv station’s panties knotted in a bunch so who really cares. Actually when it comes down to it the placement of the bus stops is immaterial, the only safe place to cross a busy street is at a signaled intersection.

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Ya, it's never going to be perfect and you can't fix stupid only work around it.

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Originally Posted by grump

2358, Transit is a state road so Amherst and Clarence have to work with DOT, never any easy thing to do.

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Wait, just so I'm clear, both Transit *and* NFB are state, no?

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Originally Posted by Member 2358

Wait, just so I'm clear, both Transit *and* NFB are state, no?

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Yep. Just pointing out that working with DOT is a bitch kitty.

Leftie, if you want to talk bus stops, there’s one nearby this area on the north side of Kenmore Ave at NFB, right in front of an empty decrepite site that used to be a Red Apple market. The owner won’t sell and town is thinking of condemning & turning it into a park. Problem is the bus stop is litter breeding ground thanks to NFTA riders who disgorge their garbage before entering and after exiting the omnibus. It prolly can’t be moved across NFB because the lanes narrow directly across the intersection. What to do, what to do!

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Originally Posted by grump

Leftie, if you want to talk bus stops, there’s one nearby this area on the north side of Kenmore Ave at NFB, right in front of an empty decrepite site that used to be a Red Apple market. The owner won’t sell and town is thinking of condemning & turning it into a park. Problem is the bus stop is litter breeding ground thanks to NFTA riders who disgorge their garbage before entering and after exiting the omnibus. It prolly can’t be moved across NFB because the lanes narrow directly across the intersection. What to do, what to do!

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I thought the town already decided to use ED and take the land back?

Well, they voted to do it but no one knows where the $$$ is coming from to pay the just compensation or even how much that is. I understand they did this without any type of realistic appraisal of the value under eminent domain standards. But the people running the show there are boneheads, Kulpa, Bucki ( can you imagine!) and others. I don’t believe that includes the bus stop. I doubt the town can condemn an asset of a state public authority so the trash will continue to flow into our beautiful new park. My guess is that it will be pedestrian friendly so we can stroll through the detritus.

Better get started on another “plan” to deal with Chucky Cheese. Let’s see....we could empanel a group of town board members and direct them to issue rfp’s to spend $10Ok or so on consultants. Oh, and the “stakeholders”...for God’s sake don’t forget the “stakeholders”. Let’s see urban gangs would be among the ones with a “stake”, I guess. Not just a stake, but a shiv and a Gloc too. After numerous public hearings, they could issue a report. Or the board could’ve denied the amusement incense sought by Chucky and made them sue where they could’ve litigated the issues of criminality at the site. This assumes of course that the town had a competent legal staff instead of an office of file clerks.

Though there's plenty of it here, I was hoping to see even more 'mumbo jumbo' from the planners.

http://buffalonews.com/2018/06/13/pe...ational-trend/

I challenge each and every reader of this to use the phrase "road diet" at least three times today.

How about speed bumps/humps for NFB from Kenmore Ave to the county line? Awesome idea, no? You're welcome.

Aw, hell, Member 2358, I used the phrase “road diet” three times before breakfast. Nobody knows what it means, including those who use it, so you can use it anytime. Only problem with speed bumps, if you go fast enough they really don’t do much.

Earlier in the thread I mentioned that I question the ability of Kulpa (or any planner for that matter) to predict future planning trends. A classic example of horrible planning that could’ve been light years worse is the Rte 33/Rte 198 mess. It is now pretty much universally recognized as a disaster that bisected and thereby weakened neighborhoods and helped expedite flight from the city. When it was first conceived it was part of a greater plan of hub and spoke expressways from downtown into the ‘burbs that would’ve carved pretty much all of Buffalo and the immediate suburbs into dozens and dozens of isolated block groups. Fortunately the funding dried up and the disaster was avoided. I’m told that the 990 and the LaSalle Expressway are vestigial appendages of the plan. At the time the planners were assuring WNY that future generations would be need and demand these interlocking expressways to move rapidly through the area. After all, they were planners and they knew future planning needs. NOT!! But, thanks to the prodigious “school desegregation” efforts of Judge Curtin & Eugene Reville and the damage wrought by NFTA and it’s stunningly failed subway, the city has been sufficiently denuded of population that one can still move rapidly through today, even on a mule.

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Originally Posted by grump

Earlier in the thread I mentioned that I question the ability of Kulpa (or any planner for that matter) to predict future planning trends. A classic example of horrible planning that could’ve been light years worse is the Rte 33/Rte 198 mess. It is now pretty much universally recognized as a disaster that bisected and thereby weakened neighborhoods and helped expedite flight from the city. When it was first conceived it was part of a greater plan of hub and spoke expressways from downtown into the ‘burbs that would’ve carved pretty much all of Buffalo and the immediate suburbs into dozens and dozens of isolated block groups. Fortunately the funding dried up and the disaster was avoided. I’m told that the 990 and the LaSalle Expressway are vestigial appendages of the plan. At the time the planners were assuring WNY that future generations would be need and demand these interlocking expressways to move rapidly through the area. After all, they were planners and they knew future planning needs. NOT!! But, thanks to the prodigious “school desegregation” efforts of Judge Curtin & Eugene Reville and the damage wrought by NFTA and it’s stunningly failed subway, the city has been sufficiently denuded of population that one can still move rapidly through today, even on a mule.

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Funny that you'd use a mule speed reference in a comment that includes the Scajaquada. And speaking of speed, do the Amherst police even give a damn about how fast people drive on 990? Seriously, why not raise the limit to 70?

Member, last year I found myself on the 990 quite a lot. Seems that there were troopers there a lot and APD is on it a lot because they can jump on from Audubon. But people do speed. I’d raise it to 75 but then again I’ve always had a lead foot.

So when this thread first began one of the major problems confronting western New York wasn’t the lack of jobs (By the way, ESDC has solved the lack of jobs problem once and for all. It’s not lack of jobs now.

Instead, we have a lack of workers. Ha, ha, hee, hee, ho, ho) or the crushing tax burden of the failing schools. No, it was the “emergency” on Niagara Falls Blvd caused by people wandering out into the road in the middle of the night at unlit, unsignaled sections and getting whacked. Everyone jumped on board, most of all Planner Kulpa who was chock full ideas. So almost a year later, we found out the other night thanks to the marvels of tv news that Kulpa and his band of screwballs on the town board have barely begun their end of the process and the folks on the Tonawanda side haven’t begun at all.

But I understand why Kulpa’s having problems. When he spends what little time he is in town hall larding the town payroll with personal friends instead of doing the job he was elected to do things fall through the cracks. And as we all know, most of that problem was caused by careless pedestrians who continue to wander out into all sections of NFB, at all hours of the day, from Kenmore Ave to the county line. I never much cared for the comedian, Ron White, but he was right about one thing : You can’t fix stupid.

There'd not be the problems on NFB if there were roundabouts at Maple/Brighton, N & S Ellicott Creek, E Robinson, and Tonawanda Creek. Also, placement of HAWK signals every 1/8 mile or so might not be a bad idea.

Seriously, InnKeepers Lane is the primary problem. Fix that first.

Is anyone in Amherst wondering why Planner Kulpa wants to give away the entire Northtown Recreation complex after the town spent millions developing it for Amherst residents. That’s what he’ll be able to do if the state legislature adopts his foolish policy recommendation and passes alienation legislation for the entire parcel. He can then give it to his friends in pieces or in one large transfer.

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Originally Posted by grump

Is anyone in Amherst wondering why Planner Kulpa wants to give away the entire Northtown Recreation complex after the town spent millions developing it for Amherst residents. That’s what he’ll be able to do if the state legislature adopts his foolish policy recommendation and passes alienation legislation for the entire parcel. He can then give it to his friends in pieces or in one large transfer.

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I have not been following this but there are two things I know:

1 - I don't Mensch.

2 - Unlocking the land between UB and Audubon from Maple to Millersport would bring a lot of value.


Sadly, because WNY is WNY, you don't have too many dance partners to choose from.

Leftie, I believe the Mensch group is a group of local developers looking to develop the old Westwood site. Among them they have some experience. Do you really believe Planner Kulpa should be giving away millions of $$ in town financed recreational facilities to “unlock” the value of the land. Those facilities already bring in “unlocked” value and quite a bit of it.

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Originally Posted by grump

Leftie, I believe the Mensch group is a group of local developers looking to develop the old Westwood site. Among them they have some experience. Do you really believe Planner Kulpa should be giving away millions of $$ in town financed recreational facilities to “unlock” the value of the land. Those facilities already bring in “unlocked” value and quite a bit of it.

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I think Mensch is going to back channel some sort of sweetheart deal that should have been better for the town. Right now they own Westwood and have a poor position. The can't develop as they want and desperately are looking to flip sites so that they are not in such a bind. Even still, the TOA is negotiating with them as if it's an even deal.

The TOA should be putting the Northtown/Audubon/Gun Club opportunity out in the open for everyone. If Mensch wants to try and get the land via a swap..so be it. But if another developer wants to come in with cash or different terms, the town should listen to that as well.

I also don't think Kulpa is 'giving away' the Northtown Center. I am pretty sure what is being discussed is the land where the softball/baseball fields are located. Those are not worth millions. But could be wrong there.

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Originally Posted by leftWNYbecauseofBS

I think Mensch is going to back channel some sort of sweetheart deal that should have been better for the town. Right now they own Westwood and have a poor position. The can't develop as they want and desperately are looking to flip sites so that they are not in such a bind. Even still, the TOA is negotiating with them as if it's an even deal.

The TOA should be putting the Northtown/Audubon/Gun Club opportunity out in the open for everyone. If Mensch wants to try and get the land via a swap..so be it. But if another developer wants to come in with cash or different terms, the town should listen to that as well.

I also don't think Kulpa is 'giving away' the Northtown Center. I am pretty sure what is being discussed is the land where the softball/baseball fields are located. Those are not worth millions. But could be wrong there.

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I believe the Town is stating that the Audubon property is more valuable than the Westwood property. I believe their assertion is misleading. Westwood's value is lower because of the action/inaction of the Town to facilitate it's (re-)development into something of value. The Town caused Westwood's value to diminish... they buckled to that Frankhauser nature lady. Westwood as a park = Opportunity lost.