Buffalo, NY- Wal-Mart comes to Abrupt End

Rezoning bid for Wal-Mart dropped in Alden
Town Planning Board had earlier voted against the proposal

The Wal-Mart saga in Alden came to an unexpected end Monday night. At least it seemed to.

During the communications session of the Town Board meeting, Supervisor Ronald L. Smith read an letter addressed to Town Clerk Dorothy Bycina from proposed Wal- Mart developer Frank Russo.

The letter stated that Russo was withdrawing, in its entirety, the requested rezoning of the property on Four Rod and Broadway where he had hoped to build a Wal-Mart.

The letter did not state any reason for the sudden turn of events.

The town Planning Board last week voted to recommend that property on Broadway and Four Rod Road not be rezoned for the project.

Russo had requested the property be rezoned from residential/agricultural to commercial in order to build a proposed Wal-Mart on the property.

Planning Board members said that they did not feel the property lent itself adequately to the proposed big-box project and that the parcels are better suited for uses other than commercial development, such as agricultural growth.

While the Town Board was set to vote on last week’s Planning Board recommendation to reject the rezoning, Smith said the letter’s delivery Monday afternoon by Russo’s attorney, Richard Sherwood, changed the board’s plans.

“I felt there was no need to take action at this point,” Smith said following the meeting. “I am glad that we can put this behind us.”

While Monday’s events may signify the end of Wal-Mart in the rural town, Smith said he is hoping it can lead to the beginning of retail planning for the predominantly rural community.

A resolution, which was passed Monday, will allow the town to apply for community block development grant funds through the state to update the town’s master plan, which dates to 1973.

The town is also seeking grant money to build a culvert in the Bonnie Lake subdivision, which has been experiencing severe erosion problems.

Smith said he hopes to apply for grant funds in the range of $60,000 to $75,000 in collaboration with the village, which last updated its master plan 10 years ago.

“Any document that is 35 years old needs to be revisited,” Smith added. “It is horribly outdated.”

Posted by Andrew Yonki on Tuesday, October 16, 2007

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