William Street is a two-lane county road with turning lanes only at signalized intersections (Penora, Aurora, Lake & Bowen), numerous open drainage ditches and with shoulders less than three feet (3-ft.) wide in these areas between Transit Road and Aurora Street. The daily vehicle traffic count between Transit Road and Aurora Street is 15,000.

The traffic count will increase with the mixed-use development taking place at the intersection of William and Aurora, the development of the Cheektowaga Chick-fil-A restaurant at the Transit Road / and Losson Road intersection (Cheektowag) and the proposed Windsor Ridge South Phase II development off William Street - south of Brunck Road, west of Bowen Road. There recently was an auto related death near the Bowen / William intersection.

The mixed-use development at the William and Aurora intersection is near completion. This is a heavily travelled location with signalization, but with short and narrow turning lanes at every corner. Vehicles travelling this area have to be thinking, “What the hell was the town thinking in approving this project?”

To its credit, the town board rescinded a 2007 SEQRA neg-deg for the Windsor Ridge South Phase II amended preliminary plan application for a subdivision consisting of 195 +/- single family homes on a + 117- acre parcel of land. The Planning Board had reviewed the amended application for the project and recommended to the Town Board that the negative declaration previously issued for the Project on August 20, 2007, be rescinded pursuant to 6 NYCRR 617.7(f), based upon substantive project changes, new information, and changes in circumstances related to the project that were not previously considered, which may result in a significant adverse environmental impact, and that a positive declaration be issued until such time the sponsor addresses:

Wetlands

Wetland permits have expired. The wetlands have expanded since 2007 and now fall under the jurisdiction of the State. Based on the expanded wetlands, the roadway to Brunck Road is no longer being proposed.

Traffic

With the removal of a roadway with access to Brunck Road, subdivision ingress and egress will be limited to Bowen Road and through the Windsor Ridge development and onto to Lake Avenue to the west. 72 homeowners* signed and submitted a petition to the town objecting to the removal of the subdivision access road to Brunck Road in the amended site plan. The petition cited the town’s March 20, 2017 resolution to deny a revised site plan design based on the removal of a roadway with access road to Brunck Road. The town declared in 2017 that the access road was critical else there would be a significant adverse traffic impact at the other access points given the density of the Windsor Ridge South plan.

The Planning Board (PB) recommends an updated and more comprehensive traffic study be performed which shall include the cumulative effect of other projects. The PB noted that cars are racing through Windsor Ridge, Pine Tree Farms and up Lake Avenue. Bowen Road cannot handle the additional traffic. There are so many more developments since the project was first considered.

Lots

The Planning Board took issue with the fact that there are too many lots in the amended project design. Wetlands expanded and more lots are proposed than on the original design.

Monday’s resolution

The resolution stated: “All involved agencies and the Project sponsor shall have until June 12, 2019 at 4:00 PM to respond." At the meeting a project sponsors representative requested extended time to respond to the issues. The project sponsor has had 12 years to prepare for any issues that came along. He was told by the town in 2017 of the critical nature of having a third ingress / egress road (and as was proposed in the 2007 project design).

Comment

It appears the county could give a rat’s ass about the volume of traffic on this two-lane county road, the associated hazards and safety issues of having open drainage ditches, narrow shoulder lanes that compromise the health and wellbeing of walkers and bicyclists and the difficulty of emergency vehicles by-passing traffic.

By SEQRA Law the town is obligated to take a hard look at this project to determine whether significant adverse impacts exist. The PB has determined that since the 2007 neg-deg was issued significant adverse impacts do exist and have rescinded the 2007 declaration.

Kudos to the Town and Planning Boards for their determination. Not only are the homeowners in the immediate area appreciative of your decision, but all along William Street and the subdivisions connecting to it.

This is not your father’s planning board!