At last night’s Town Board meeting, the Town Board reset the public hearing date for the MasterPlan amendment for Segment B to July 14, 2010.

The MasterPlan amendment is the 2 year old recommendation by the Town Planning Board to rezone the segment of Transit Road known as Segment B (from Roll Road north to Clarence Center Road). The Town Planning board’s recommendation is to rezone that stretch of Transit Road from Major Arterial to commercial zoning.

The new zoning will align the zoning of the properties with their current uses.

The Clarence Town Board will NOT be considering the Town Planning Board’s recommendation on Wednesday, May 26.  Please see the email being sent from Supervisor Bylweski’s office below:

Thank you for your e-mails regarding the public hearing on amending Master Plan 2015 as it relates to Segment B.  Your e-mails are part of the public record and will be considered as part of our review.

Please note that this item is not on the agenda for Wednesday, May 26, 2010, due to the need to send out a correct notice of public hearing for publication.  The new hearing date will probably be Wednesday, July 14, 2010.  Please stay in touch with our Planning/Zoning Office to find out the correct date.

We will keep everyone updated if the date is ACTUALLY July 14th. This might also explain why the agenda wasn’t posted as of this morning when the initial post was made.

The Clarence Town Board will once again consider the long standing recommendation to change the zoning of Transit Road  between Roll Road and Clarence Center Road (what has been come to be known as Segment B) this Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 7:30.

This change has been tabled for over two years. Segment A, C and D were rezoned from Major arterial to commercial zoning almost two years ago. The recommendation by the Town Planning Board is one in which is based on thorough studies and sound planning principles which are inline with the Town’s MasterPlan.

All are encouraged to attend and participate in the 2010 MasterPlan amendment process.

If you can not attend the meeting in person, please take a moment to contact our Town Supervisor, Scott Bylewski (sbylewski@clarence.ny.us) and voice your support for the Town Planning Board’s long standing recommendation.

On Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 7:30 pm, the Town of Clarence Town Board is to address the Town Planning Board’s recommended changes to the 2015 Master Plan.

The Town Planning Board’s recommendation has been pending since May 8, 2008 and is to down zone the major arterial zoning, on Transit Road north of Roll Road and South of Clarence Center Road (Segment B) to commercial zoning. The commercial zoning is reflective of the current land use and was adopted for the other three focus areas (Segment A, C, and D) over a year and a half ago.

Please plan on attending and participate in the process which helps shape the future of the Town of Clarence.

At Wednesday  night’s meeting, the Town Planning Board unanimously voted to forward their May 2008 recommendation to down zone Segment B back to the Town Board. It is now up to Town Board to decide to take action on the Town Planning board’s recommendation.

We will continue to keep you updated on any new developments.

On April 7, 2010 at 7:30 pm, the Town of Clarence Planning Board will be addressing the Masterplan 2015 amendments for this year. They include:

1. Master Plan 2015 Amendment Segment B-Transit Road Corridor north of Roll
   Road.
2. Master Plan 2015 Amendment Increased Depth of Major Arterial Zone along
   Transit Road south of Roll Road (West Herr).

ClarenceFIRST will be in attendance to show our support for the Planning Board’s original recommendation to DOWNZONE Segment B from major arterial to commercial. We hope that if you are not able to attend the meeting to show your support that you send an email to the Town Planning Board to show your support for their work and their decision to downzone segment B.

The Town Planning Board members are:

• Al Schultz-Chairman
• Wendy Salvati-Vice-Chairperson
• Timothy Pazda
• George Van Nest
• Richard Bigler
• Gregory Todaro

Send your emails the board members c/o Carolyn Delgato (cdelgato@clarence.ny.us).

Thank you for your continued support.

Wegmans has officially dropped their plans to expand in the Town of Clarence. They will be expanding their current store to meet their needs for a bigger store.

Read the article in the today’s Business section of the Buffalo News:
Wegmans drops Clarence plans, will enlarge Amherst store

ClarenceFIRST would like to thank everyone for their support during the last year and a half. It is clear that without the strong opposition to this project on Segment B, the end result would have been different.

We will continue to keep a watchful eye on the development along Transit as well as the MasterPlan changes and look forward to keeping you up to date with new developments in our community.

Thank you.

At last night’s annual review for the MasterPlan 2015, the Town Board read into the record a letter that was sent to the Town Board from an officer of ClarenceFIRST. This letter outlined the ClarenceFIRST Homeowners Association support of the Planning Board’s 2008 recommendation to DOWNZONE Segment B.

It also expressed concern regarding the use of reporting time during the Town Board meetings to bring motions regarding MasterPlan 2015 amendments that are currently under debate. The letter requested that any motions regarding master plan amendments be placed on the formal agenda from now on so that they are brought to the public’s attention for comment and review.

Also at last night’s review: West Herr of Clarence submitted a request to extend the major arterial zoning behind their Saturn dealership on Transit Road a further 220 feet deeper into their property. This will leave a 440 feet buffer between their vehicle storage lot and adjacent properties on Via Marina Drive.

Both the West Herr proposal and the Segment B downzoning will most likely be on the next Planning Board agenda on March 17.

The Public Hearing for the Annual review of the Master Plan 2015 is February 24, 2010 at 7:45 pm at Town Hall.

ClarenceFIRST has not heard any thing officially regarding what to expect from this year’s review. Members of ClarenceFIRST will be on hand to urge that the Town Board act immediately on the Town Planning Board’s recommendation to DOWNZONE segment B which has been pending for two years now.

We encourage everyone to be in attendance on February 24 at 7:45 pm to engage in your Town’s annual review of the MasterPlan and hear some of the proposed changes which could impact your neighborhood.

Thank you.

UPDATE: Planning Board upholds decision to downzone and Weiss motions to circumvent the Planning Board to get project reviewed.

We hope that everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. Now that there is a lull before the New Year, we would like to update everyone on developments behind the Wegmans project proposed for Segment B on Transit Road north of Roll Road.

On November 25, the Planning Board detailed all of the proposed and approved Master Plan amendments in recent history and reviewed all of the recent history of the Bella Vista / Wegmans application to have the master plan amended.

The Planning Board did NOT forward the application to amend the Master Plan for the Wegmans project to the TEQR committee for further review and voted unanimously to request that the Town Board adopt the Planning Board’s recommendation to DOWNZONE Segment B.

Read full details of the meeting here: http://www.erie.gov/clarence/pdfs/minutes/PBM11-25-2009.pdf

At the next Town Board meeting on December 2, Councilman Weiss made a motion to bypass the Planning Board and to send the Bella Vista \ Wegmans project directly to the TEQR committee review. There was no second on Councilman Weiss’ motion. There was no further discussion on the topic.

Read full details on the meeting here: http://www.erie.gov/clarence/pdfs/minutes/TBM2009-12-02.pdf

At this point, we are watching for any further developments from Bella Vista Development / Wegmans and will be drafting a letting to the Town Board requesting that they address the Town Planning Board’s recommendations for Segment B at their nearest opportunity.

In the meantime, please contact the Town of Clarence Board members and let them know that you support the Planning Board’s decision to downzone Segment B and would like to see it put on the agenda for a near future Town Board Meeting.

Town Supervisor: Scott Bylewski – sbylewski@clarence.ny.us

Councilman:

Bernard J. Kolber – bkolber@clarence.ny.us

Joseph N. Weiss – jweiss@clarence.ny.us

Patrick Casilio -  pcasilio@clarence.ny.us

Peter DiCostanzo – pdicostanzo@clarence.ny.us

Thank you for your support.

ClarenceFIRST Homeowners Association.