To Cazenovia village and town board members:
We are urging you to vote against the proposed annexation along the south side of Route 20 to the east of the Village of Cazenovia.
As you know, many residents of the town and village, representing various constituencies, were involved in the creation of the Comprehensive Plan, approved by the town and village just seven years ago, giving time, energy and consideration to Cazenovia’s unique heritage while recognizing that some change is inevitable. The Comprehensive Plan represents community consensus on how change can be properly managed and controlled and balanced with what we all value. It protects the land along the south side of Route 20. The current annexation proposal is in violation of that plan’s promise and is an assault on the good judgment of the community.
We trust that you are considering the articulate and convincing arguments that have been made in opposition to the proposed annexation and development of the property. Over my lifetime, I have witnessed the degradation of my home town, DeWitt, and the spread of commercialism down Erie Boulevard and up Route 5 through to Fayetteville destroying residential life in its path. We live in Cazenovia to escape the sprawl and because we hope that Cazenovia will maintain its charm and its historic, rural, residential nature.
We have almost everything we need here, including a plentiful supply of fresh, local food and products from local farms and craftsmen. There have already been several unfortunate missteps on the south side of Route 20 and, it seems, some mysterious alterations to the recently approved Village Edge South plan. We see the annexation proposal as a continuation of the downward spiral. Instead of creative, imaginative growth that honors our heritage, this proposal succumbs to the bland and ordinary, bricks and asphalt, chrome and traffic.
If you respect the good work and judgment of the community, as evidenced in the Comprehensive Plan as it stands, please vote against the proposal. If you value Cazenovia’s history and uniqueness, which we believe is its strength and hope for its future, please vote against the proposal. If you believe in a healthy and vibrant village center, please vote against the proposal. If you heed the old Native American proverb “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children,” please vote against the annexation.
Please vote no to protect our legacy.
Tom and Barbara Clarke
Cazenovia
