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Thread: Town officials comment on Dollar General

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    Town officials comment on Dollar General

    Town officials comment on Dollar General

    Development has long been a topic of debate in Clarence, and recently one big source of residential ire has been the proposed Dollar General store at 10340-10344 Main St.
    This Dollar General has drawn the dissent of nearby residents from the beginning, and some town officials have become frustrated with social media commentary about the proposed project and some of the comments and accusations flung their way.
    “Saturday somebody … put a puke emoji up there or something [on social media] because Dollar General is going to happen, but it spurred 150 comments online of people who frankly … have no idea what the hell they’re talking about. So 90% of those people that you see online, they have not gone to a meeting, they have not read any shred of minutes, and they don’t even know what the [store] looks like,” said Councilman and Deputy Supervisor Peter DiCostanzo during last week’s town board meeting. He added that although online commenters have claimed the town is only after the tax money, tax revenue from the store is not much in the grand scheme of things.

    Town Supervisor Patrick Casilio said that residents have made false and insulting comments about him, have commented on his education at RIT and have accused the town of rubber-stamping the project, which he views as a slight against multiple people.
    “It’s insulting to all the people … who worked very hard over two years, minimum 20 meetings and maybe 30 people all combined – and it’s still not done yet,” he said.
    Since the initial proposal, the structure has evolved from a shape reminiscent of a shoebox to one almost resembling a house. The flat roof and plain box-shaped brick building from the first proposal’s rendering – originally considered a “premium product” by the developers, according to Director of Community Development Jon Bleuer – have undergone scrutiny from various boards and departments, and the most recent rendering shows roof gables, siding in the brown and tan color families, and a structure with more detail and visual appeal than the original, despite the base remaining fairly rectangular. Following the changes, the Broadway Group’s DeAnna Hyche said at a town board meeting that other municipalities are asking the developer to give them the Clarence version of Dollar General.
    “I think we have the premier example right now,” Casilio said. “It might even set the barometer for the Hollow that they have to be up at this level or more.”
    As recently as October, some town residents have questioned the store’s “curb appeal” and said it does not fit the Hollow’s character. Resident Bill Weisbeck had described it as a “gilded box” with a color palette too bright to match the area – and though he acknowledged the 9,100-square-foot structure fits the letter of the zoning, he did not feel it met the spirit of it: “This zone is intended to achieve a small-town, historic-style business district with small retail shops. … I can’t believe that a retail chain is the same as a small retail shop.”

    Although DiCostanzo said he would prefer a nice restaurant and bar on the property, the former owners sold it to Dollar General, and the store is within their rights to develop it as long as they meet code. DiCostanzo felt that Dollar General was put “through the wringer” for planning, and Town Attorney Larry Meckler has confirmed that while the town has a considerable amount of control over a structure’s appearance, it cannot simply deny a project that is an “allowable use” for reasons such as disliking the business – in fact, the town could be sued for denying a proposal.
    “We’re not the arbiter,” Meckler said. “As Pat [Casilio] said, people are allowed to sell their property. People are allowed to come in and develop as long as they adhere to all the town codes and regulations and planning directives.”
    The town board first heard Dollar General’s proposal in February 2021 and referred it to the planning board for preliminary conceptual review, but the planning office has been working to get the proposal aligned with various town requirements for a longer time.
    “The planning office was contacted by a representative of an unnamed retail use in February of 2019. Over the course of two years, the planning office advocated for the observance of town code, Vision Main Street and the Hollow architectural guidelines,” Bleuer said. “That rep ended up submitting a proposal for what turned out to be the Dollar General proposal.” The town and the Clarence Hollow Community Protection Committee have worked on the project over various meetings to ensure the structure met code and aligned with what the town wanted in terms of architecture, setbacks, landscaping, etc.
    Residents of the neighboring Claremount Senior Apartments have been some of the most active individuals in speaking against the project and have reached out to the Bee on a few occasions to ask about upcoming meetings for the development. Some brought up concerns about traffic and related noise, to which they were told the store is intended to serve existing traffic instead of bringing in more vehicles. Other Claremount residents spoke of their love for the green space, wildlife and view afforded by the currently undeveloped lot, but developers responded that the lot’s owner wanted to sell, so it would be developed by someone else even if Dollar General were not building there.
    Though Claremount residents have opposed the store, Casilio believes that they will shop there after the store is built, and Councilman Bob Geiger said that he expects Rock Oaks residents – especially seniors – will appreciate the store for its convenience as well.
    “I think it’ll take the project to be completed and for everyone to see what it looks like before the comments will go away,” Meckler said. “Once it’s done, people will probably say ‘never mind.’ At the end of the day, it’s going to be the … model for others around the country.”
    The proposed Dollar General still needs the engineering department’s review on its full engineered drawings and then final development plan approval from the planning board, which Bleuer said could take as little as a month or as long as six months.

    https://www.clarencebee.com/articles...ollar-general/

    Georgia L Schlager

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    Clarence has its' own Elmwood Village I see..NIMBY...or build it like we want it to look TREEHUGGERS!

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    Is this property actually in so-called "Clarence Hollow"? What are the boundaries of 'the hollow'?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Member 2358 View Post
    Is this property actually in so-called "Clarence Hollow"? What are the boundaries of 'the hollow'?
    It states that it is near the Claremont. I used to vote at the Claremont. It wasn't in the Hollow per say. It's west of Hillcrest. I thought the Hollow was between the two hills

    Georgia L Schlager

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    Quote Originally Posted by gorja View Post
    It states that it is near the Claremont. I used to vote at the Claremont. It wasn't in the Hollow per say. It's west of Hillcrest. I thought the Hollow was between the two hills
    Yeah. Exactly. Seems like an overreach to reference concern of the "Clarence Hollow Community Protection Committee" and "Hollow architectural guidelines". Possibly, they feel they are justified simply because they are kinda sorta close.

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    People from Elmwood Village move to Clarence Hollow?

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    Quote Originally Posted by joe d. View Post
    People from Elmwood Village move to Clarence Hollow?
    Sure seems so. It's not even really clear as to exactly what the objection is... architecture, ownership, clientele/customers, product selection, traffic, crime... all of these?

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    Clarence NimbY

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