Concerns not being heard by village

On the edge of the escarpment, overlooking Amherst State Park, a builder proposes to replace a single-family dwelling on a large treed lot with a four-unit complex, paving over a large segment as driveway. Neighbors are unanimously opposed but have had difficulty getting an inattentive village government to respond, or sometimes even to take into account existing village policies on zoning and development.

Recently, the Village Planning Committee met to hear the builder, but the chair announced that the 15 citizens present could not speak. Previously, a work session of the Village Board and other committees had heard the builder but with citizen input disallowed.

At the Planning Committee Aug. 6, members were uncertain what was required. Their confusion was assisted by the chair's announcement that there were no variances needed, despite the fact that a letter had been sent by the attorney representing neighbors, pointing out at least five required variances, including those for grossly insufficient setbacks.

This proposed development at 122 N. Cayuga pushes into a square block between North Cayuga and Howard Avenue, north of Glen Avenue, containing only one- and two-family homes on deep lots. It breaks a single building lot into two, one having street frontage and a second having none. Under the village's "exceptional development" policy, such division is to be taken only when "such action will promote the health, safety and welfare of residents of the village."

The Planning Committee neither cited nor discussed precise stipulations of the exceptional development policy.

Neighbors now must await a Village Board meeting. The village government, by not allowing its advisory committees to hear our concerns earlier, has put itself in the position of making a decision with inadequate advice on important issues, touching not only neighbors but also the entire village.

Richard Vesley Howard Avenue

Williamsville