During the course of the campaign, voters have frequently asked us about the status of various matters that have been or will be presented to the Village Board. The following are two of these questions.
What is happening with Stop & Shop? How big will it be and will Estherwood Avenue still be open?
On Tuesday, October 13, prior to the Board of Trustee’s meeting, a joint Planning Board and Board of Trustees meeting was held. Stop & Shop officials asked to make a presentation with new schematics outlining proposed plans for the Stop & Shop property. They presented two plans, both of which will be sent to the next phase of the GEIS for further vetting. The first plan had 161 parking spots and proposed keeping Estherwood Avenue open. The second plan which closed Estherwood Avenue had 182 parking spots. Both addressed the delivery truck question by cleverly lengthening the median on Walgrove Avenue, creating a buffer for the residents and an entrance at the rear of the parking area on what is currently the Scott Chevrolet site.
The size of the proposed store is now approximately 41,000 square feet. This includes a larger basement area, loading dock and building addition of 6,200 sq. ft.
Both Boards will be addressing these designs to see which would be the most effective and appropriate. In addition, traffic studies need to be conducted to see if changes in patterns and flow would be harmed in any way. After all of the information is obtained, a decision will be made. However, the Board of Trustees does not favor a plan to close Estherwood.
Is this Board of Trustees still considering a parking garage behind Village Hall?
The Village Board has been constantly exploring ways to improve our downtown and business district. For many years, one of the most common complaints was a lack of parking which led to a lack of consumers. The Board commissioned a survey of areas in the Village that might be suitable for construction of parking facilities, including behind Cedar Street and Lower Main Street and the Waterfront.
At the August 18 regular meeting, representatives from the National Development Council presented the results of their survey. NDC recommended that it would not be economically feasible to construct stand alone parking facilities behind Cedar Street or along Lower Main due to the steep topography in those areas. They did conclude that it might be economical to build a garage in the lot behind Village Hall and that the most economical design on a per space basis would be three or four stories but that would cost several million dollars.
After careful review, and the input of many residents, the Board decided that at this time, the plan is not feasible due to the enormous expense and is looking into alternatives to this proposal. These include finding smaller satellite parking areas within the Village which can be developed at a much lower cost, utilizing potential parking areas at the 27 Main Street property, better enforcement of current parking regulations, encouraging business owners and employees not to park in front of their stores and the potential installment of a trolley which would loop through town and down to the train station parking lot.
On Tuesday, November 3, Vote for David Koenigsberg for Mayor and Re-Elect Trustees Fred Broda, Paula Dambroff and Teresa Walsh!
Thank you.
David Koenigsberg for Mayor
Fred Broda for Trustee
Paula Dambroff for Trustee
Teresa Walsh for Trustee