Last Monday, a new economic development proposal at the east end of the village was unveiled at the village planning board meeting — and all week the community was atwitter with conversation, opinion and gossip. The multi-million dollar mixed use project includes the proposed construction of an Aldi supermarket, a freestanding Rite Aid pharmacy with drive thru, additional retail stores not yet specified and dozens of townhouses. The development would occur on about 10 acres of land along Route 20 East on the site currently occupied by the defunct diner and motel.
While we did not attend the planning board meeting last week, we spoke with people who were there and were told that opposition to the proposed project has already started forming and coordinating. We currently have no opinion about the project. What concerns us, however, is that there appears to be a misinformed opinion around town that simply because the proposal was presented to the village planning board that it is a done deal. It is not. The initial planning board submission is the first step in what is typically a lengthy public process. The developer has submitted its project; the board will now examine it, ask questions, share concerns and require further information. The developer will then respond to those concerns and, likely, revise the proposal accordingly. Nothing will be approved or denied by the planning board until at least one public hearing has been held. In the case of other recent development proposals in Caz, multiple public hearings were held before any decisions were made.
We understand that any major development proposal in our community is an important issue that will have both supporters and detractors, and we urge our readers to be informed about the project. All village planning board meetings are open to the public, and all the project paperwork is public record, available to anyone who wants to examine it, in the planning board files in the village office. We will have a detailed story about the project in next week’s paper.
