Three groups opposed to a planned Whole Foods and retail plaza on Monroe Avenue say that they are prepared to sue the Town of Brighton if their concerns aren’t addressed. Two of the groups represent people who live close to the project site, and the third represents anonymous Monroe Avenue business and residents.
All three groups say that the project is too big and will aggravate traffic on the densely developed corridor. Each group has its own attorney.
Daniele Family Companies proposed four buildings, totaling about 94,000 square feet of space on the north side of Monroe, between I-590 and Clover Street. A 55,000-square-foot Whole Foods store would go in roughly the same location as the now-closed Mario’s restaurant on Monroe, which was owned and operated by the Daniele family. One of the other buildings would be a standalone Starbucks coffee shop with a drive-through.
A grocery store isn’t a regularly allowed use of the property, and the density of the proposal far exceeds what’s permitted under the town’s zoning. In exchange for permission to deviate from those laws, Daniele Family Companies would make improvements to some public amenities. The company also says that the development would give the town a substantial bump in tax revenue.
The opposition groups want the developer to conduct a new traffic study; they say that the existing one is flawed. They hired the McFarland Johnson engineering firm in Canandaigua to review the developer’s current traffic study, and the firm said that the study isn’t adequate in terms of data and proposed mitigation measures.
The three groups also want the Town Board to route the project through the standard Planning Board and Zoning Board approval process, which requires the developer to get approval for each specific variation from town zoning laws.
“There should be no special deals for this developer,” says attorney Daniel Spitzer of Hodgson Russ in Buffalo. Spitzer represents Save Monroe Ave., the opposition group made up of residents and Monroe Avenue businesses.
But a post on the Facebook page “Bring Whole Foods to Rochester, NY,” dismisses the Save Monroe Ave. group. Spitzer “doesn’t know anything about our hometown and will say whatever he is paid to say,” the post says.
Daniele Family Companies compared the density of the proposed project to other Brighton developments on Monroe and determined that the Whole Foods project would be less dense than many of them, says Danny Daniele, the company’s president.
He also cites data from the Brighton Police Department that shows a decrease in traffic accidents along the area of Monroe Avenue next to the site. The drop is the result of a reduction in parking lot entrances coming off of Monroe, as well as other safety engineering, he says.
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This article appears in Jul 27 – Aug 2, 2016.
There is a Whole Foods in Pittsburgh. Most of the time you cannot get in there with a shoe horn.
The mega Wegmans causes much of the current traffic problems on Monroe. Where were the critics then? Oh wait– the Wegmans are the backers of the anti-Whole Foods group.
Just heard a project spokesperson on WXXI radio. Stated the community shouldn’t focus on the traffic situation but rather the tax income the project would generate. We aren’t a growing community so this project will just take money from other businesses and the tax revenues they collect. It’s a redistribution not an increase. Not sure about property taxes.
What we will get is more congestion, a decrease in the quality of life and more road maintenance. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/07/27… This is a link to an article on Whole Foods from today’s NY Times.
We are a representative government and not a democracy. As the current national scene shows many representatives are not capable of doing the right thing and do not have the public interest in mind when making decisions. The people affected by this project should have more of a say, possibly through a referendum.
While it may cut into Wegmans a little bit, I doubt they would even notice. Yes, it will generate a lot more in property taxes and probably 30 more jobs. Also, knowing how Wegmans operates on superior customer service, they may even hire even more employees too. Competition is good for all.
Well over 350 accidents in that area in the past three years; one of the most dangerous and congested intersections in the county.
Folks, it’s about safety, traffic and common sense; yet the developers point out that their project will add to the tax rolls and be competition to Wegmans.
I challenge anyone to drive down Monroe Av. by Westfall/Allens Creek Rd during daily rush hours and on Saturdays. It’s a zoo, without cages!
McFarland/Johnson, feasibility study firm in Canandaigua, pointed out that the developers proposal lacked a lot of info and in addition to the traffic problem, the parking issue for the project would be a grid lock.
Expansion and development is great for some but not for others. However, the town officials of Brighton should weigh and choose what’s best for it’s residents.
If the officials do the right thing, they will deny the Whole Foods Project as it is proposed and consider a project that is smaller in scope; a project that will have less impact on the traffic/safety issues and satisfy a need for its residents.
Why do so many people, especially readers of this paper say they are against “sprawl”, but then when someone proposes the exact opposite of sprawl, they get all upset? Let’s face it, this is a busy area with the confluence of a number of major roadways.
I propose a whole new way of looking at this. Not only a Whole Foods on the first floor, but office space on floors 2 &3, with 3 or more floors of housing above that. People living in the housing could ideally work in the area. If not, the area is well served with public transportation. Mixed use is the best development options today because people can do most of their living without the need for a car.
What is really missing from this area is housing. This could actually be turned into a walkable community with all the retail, services, movie theatres and restaurants already there.
The problem with these “studies” is that the conclusions always support the interests of the paying clients.
The “substantial bump in tax revenue” is money talking. It’s a bribe.
You know, sometimes people feel better after someone tells it like it is. Our country continues to deeply need the catharses that Trump and Sanders have been providing.
“Why do so many people, especially readers of this paper say they are against “sprawl”, but then when someone proposes the exact opposite of sprawl, they get all upset?”
Because it’s not being built in their trigger word area, aka a “food desert”. But lets be honest, non-off brand grocery stores are not exactly clamoring to move in to the poor neighborhoods. Kudos to Tops for sticking it out on West Ave, Lake Ave, and Upper Falls.
Eric, don’t forget that Tops was paid to locate in the city, but I do applaud them from doing it anyway. Wegmans concept uses a large footprint making it hard to locate in the city, however I’ve heard that they are working on a smaller concept as they move into more densely populated areas along the east coast. The new $15 per hour doesn’t help the food desert much either.