Walgreens wants to erect a drugstore on this block.

Walgreens wants to tear down these homes:

Read a recent letter the the editor on the subject:

Are you worried that the recent building boom in the village of Penn Yan is changing the character of our community forever? Are you tired of seeing shade trees and historic homes bulldozed down to make way for parking lots and architecturally ugly buildings? In the latest development, Walgreens drug store wants to build a big-box pharmacy on an entire block of Elm Street, Keuka Street and Liberty Street in Penn Yan, right across the road from another drug store. Three houses on Elm Street would be bulldozed down to make way for a parking lot. A new exit from the development onto Keuka Street would dramatically impact traffic, noise, and lighting on this residential side street.

The Penn Yan planning board wants to know what people think about this proposal. Although not required by law, they are holding a public hearing at 7 pm on Monday July 11th at the Penn Yan village hall at 111 Elm Street. The planning board is inviting the community - who are so often shut out of the local planning process - to have a say on this proposal.

Despite Walgreen's claims about job creation, oversupplying Penn Yan with a redundant pharmacy doesn't benefit the community. The retail "pie" of our community is fixed. If Walgreens opens a giant store (staffed by mostly low-paid, part time workers), that leaves a smaller portion of the fixed pie for the existing drug stores in town, probably forcing at least one of them to downsize or close. Henderson's Drug Store, our independent, locally-owned pharmacy - long a pillar on Main Street - could wind up the loser.

Just as we protect water quality in our local streams and lakes, I believe that the unique character that brings such charm and appeal to our small town way of life should also be protected. We've seen other communities transformed by poorly planned, expansive development. We've seen what happens when residential neighborhoods and open spaces are destroyed by an onslaught of pre-engineered, ugly buildings that have no uniqueness or architectural charm. The beautiful Victorian house sitting on the corner of Elm and Keuka Streets is one of a kind. A Walgreens in Penn Yan would look like a Walgreens in Buffalo, which looks like a Walgreens in Detroit, and so on.

Sprawl is defined as "poorly planned, low-density, auto-oriented development that spreads out from the center of communities." It creates a "doughnut effect," encircling and often cannibalizing the businesses in a decaying central downtown. Sprawl starts incrementally as a few residential parcels at a time are rezoned. We need to get involved as a community and start pushing for smart growth solutions to this problem before it's too late.

This isn't just an issue for people who live across the street. It's an issue for everyone who drives by this small circle of familiar scenery on Liberty and Elm Streets. How many times a day do you pass by this spot - traveling to work and back, to the grocery store and back, to downtown and back? If you think your community is being degraded as three more unique houses disappear to become another parking lot, then you more than anyone else are impacted and should speak up.

We are fortunate to have a planning board that is willing to listen. With so many things going on in the world today over which we have no control, this is one area where you can make a difference. So, please - "act locally" and show up at the public hearing at 7 pm Monday July 11th. You owe it to the future of your community.

--Published July in the Dundee Observer and Chronicle Express

Archive - Past "What's New" Items:

Ode to a Fallen Oak - August 7, 2004
Who Moved Our Sign? - August 14, 2004
Special Use Permits - August 21, 2004
What's Wrong with this Picture? - September 11, 2004
Who are You Calling? - September 19, 2004
Chronicle Express - Afraid to Ask the Tough Questions? - September 30, 2004
Who You Callin' - Volume 2 - December 27, 2004
Should Snowmobiles be Allowed in the Village? - January 2005
Revised EAF and so-called 'decibel study' - March 2005
A New Tour Boat for Keuka Lake - May 2005
Walgreens Proposal- July 2005
August Boat show - August 2005

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