COMMENTS FROM BARBARA & GERALD LIPA

Date: 9/14/06
To: Supervisor Smith and elected Alden officials:
Re: Rezoning and Retail in Alden
From: Gerald/Barbara Lipa
To our elected Alden town officials.
We are residents of Alden residing at 857 Four Rod Road and have lived here since 1984.

1. We do not support rezoning Broadway area near Sandridge and Four Rod Road commercial.We do not support any retail development including Walmart's, Home Depot, Lowe's, Targets, Kohls and others at this location.We do support guided growth of the proper size and type at the present Ames Plaza and the area at the present Tops Plaza -- such as the mentioned Target store by the tops plaza

2. Survey. We do not recall receiving the survey mentioned at a recent combined town and village board meeting but we understand from neighbors who did that their support of retail in Alden was directly aimed at the empty Ames Plaza or village locations that would keep the core of the village vital and attract shoppers and visitors. We heard several homeowners at the meeting afterward also mention the Ames Plaza as their target for retail. Again we do not feel the country area around Broadway noted at the meeting to be an appropriate location for rezoning commercial.

3. We are very concerned that several officials at the combined town/village meeting this past August appeared very anxious to make areas like those noted in #1 above rezoned commercial without giving the entire community a chance to understand what this would imply. These officials often mentioned support for this quick change based on the survey mentioned in #2. Was this retail question coupled with the Broadway rezoning around Sandridge? Was this Broadway rezoning mentioned?

4. It should be noted one gentleman on the planning board indicated he was a member of the Alden chamber of commerce but not a resident of the town. He indicated we should quickly rezone and worry about what type of retail comes later. Very unprofessional and we hope our elected officials noted this.

5. Tax base. This was noted as a concern by board members at the meeting and why large box stores are needed to bring in more retail. Yet our taxes are lower than many towns like Clarence, E. Amherst, Lancaster or Cheektowaga which presently have these large commercial areas. This should be discussed further as our town has some of the lowest taxes in the county. Certainly there will be the need to provide the proper utility connections (electricity, sewers, etc.) just to get this established. Who would pay for this? Would our taxes go up to support this?

6. Maintaining the aesthetic environment of a small town versus promoting the economic agendas of specific persons or businesses. This should be explored thoroughly. It would appear this entire thrust toward rezoning is based on money with Alden countryside the bait ... but money for whom?Alden has a unique country flavor. We do not need to destroy it. All the retail shopping you could possibly want is available on Transit Road from West Seneca and Lancaster north to Clarence, E. Amherst and beyond (not to ignore the D&L Plaza of Lancaster/Depew nor the Batavia shopping area). For large box store most shopping is 20-30 minutes from Alden. (Walmart, Transit Road is 12 miles from the town)

7. Where we shop now. We should explore this further but we would probably be correct in saying that not all but most Alden residents work outside the town and combine shopping at any large box stores within their work day schedule. Getting to these stores is not an issue. We would also probably be correct in saying most people do not take up residence in Alden because they desire large box stores or a heavily retailed environment. If this was true they would live in a Cheektowaga or a Transit Road area. We would also probably be correct in saying most people live in Alden because they prefer the quiet of the country and a unique rural environment. If the planning board members truly loved this small town environment and realized our residents did they would have supported developing the Tops Plaza area first with the Target mentioned at the meeting rather than destroy the beautiful country atmosphere on Broadway with large box stores and all the trappings.

8. Residents with needs.We are aware that there are older residents or perhaps disabled ones that would appreciate extra retail in the town. There is no easy way to solve this dilemma. People get older and it becomes more difficult to travel and get to destinations. Those residents would also appreciate more doctors and hospitals and a variety of other conveniences located closer also. But with this would come congestion, noise, crime, lights, and eventually our small town atmosphere would cease to be. Perhaps that Target at the Tops Plaza would be all we really need. Do we really need masses of retail? What other types of stores are people asking for?

9. Store quality. America is filled with large box stores that offer lower prices but not necessarily quality goods. The days of AM&A's, Hengerer's, Hens & Kelly (does anyone remember Seman, Hood and Morey in East Aurora?) have been pushed aside to make way for the next level down of department stores ... the Walmart's and the Home Depot's, etc.. This is not top level quality. And though we understand the need for a 5&10 cent store does Alden really deserve masses of this kind of retail? Certainly not four or five of them.

10. Walmart Issue. Walmart is very controversial from how employees are paid and lack of benefits to how they gobble up businesses to how they destroy small village retail. For instance they will beam with pride that they are saving the oceans with proper shrimp farming techniques but they will forget to tell you they destroyed the current generation of shrimp fishing families by taking their business away. We also know they can swallow other types of businesses. They can eventually destroy a good standard of living for many of us. We rarely shop at Walmart though we have easy access on our jobs. There are many issues with this store so we try to avoid it. We know people are people and many will not care about the moral clouds surrounding Walmart. The bottom line -- Do we really want it to be known that Alden is the small town that let in a Walmart? If Clarence and East Aurora prevented it and we can too.

11. Other towns. Clarence had issues with particular persons and groups trying to bring retail into the town (areas away from the Transit Road area). They fought hard and defeated these parties at election time. Perhaps our town should be made aware that sometimes individuals or groups are brought in to push for commercial rezoning. As mentioned above there is an agenda here -- Money but at what cost? We do not support selling out our town to help some people make money. Alden is not for sale.

12. In our back yard.We have noted that none of the planning board at the meeting would be directly residing in the area mentioned in #1. Obviously we do not want retail in our back yards nor in anyone's backyard. The question is if they lived on Sandridge or Four Rod or Broadway would they want this next to them? Of course not. Yet they do not mind placing it next to us. That does not equate with caring about your community.

13. Further commercial development. If this rezoning went through and a Walmart, Home Depot and other smaller stores like pizza stores, car washes, other restaurants, Kinkos, etc., came to that side of Broadway are residents also aware across the street and into the backyard of the Blossom Lea subdivision a Lowe's or something similar could also pop up?

14. Traffic on Four Rod. Increased traffic would happen. There has been an increase in traffic over the years. Commercial development would make this road a mass of vehicles and noise.

15. Coalition for Community Building. We are aware this group is in the forming stage. It will work to bring rezoning and building to rural communities. They are there to fight local residents who question commercial rezoning. They are condescending to those people who will have this in their backyard. They put down those residents as not important and need to be fought in the name of progress. They site job growth as one of their goals but they do not mention the types of jobs nor the lower paying salaries. They certainly do not seem to be promoting high paying jobs. Though they state their goal is to build jobs it appears their true agenda is to forcefully fight the residents who are concerned with bringing retail to the wrong parts of town and to make money for themselves and others.

Hopefully once an environmental survey is completed it will become apparent the Broadway/Sandridge/Four Rod region is not conducive to rezoning but can remain agricultural. We do hope the right type of retail will take place at the Tops or Ames Plaza.

Thank you.Gerald/Barbara Lipa