TAX DOLLARS DOWN THE DRAIN

$20,000 spent on Master plan consultant! Drainage ditches cost labor,trucks and excavator. We already pay the labor, own the equipment but lack funds! Let's see, which is more important, a master plan which already exists or spring runoff flooding cellars and yards? Resolutions involve mutual agreement among all parties.

Tread Lightly Town of West Monroe

West Monroe is in a state of expansion and development. We need help planning for the future. The Master Plan Committee has developed a specific plan for you. They have a diversified group but are requesting additional input. Their projected view of the town may not match yours. You’re welcome but not responding! Zoning is quietly wriggling itself into place. The master plan divides up the town for zoning. Do we already have zoning? We have a zoning Board of Appeals. There have been Town Board meetings to place a moratorium on commercial site plan reviews. That means months without any new building. If the Master plan has no teeth, why the moratorium and why the zoning board of appeals? They are all tied together. So what’s the beef? Were you notified, and can you vote on this issue? We already have a Town Planning Board. The planning board certainly can limit the use of property, with current regulations and also by occasionally adding retroactive regulation. We are required to have site plans reviewed before any construction begins and an inspector also checks our progress. Common sense is also applied to each decision. Example, placing a trucking company on a restricted weight road is understandably unacceptable. The same company doesn’t belong in the midst of multiple housing, but if it does fit with the neighborhood, maybe a natural screen would be in order. This seems to be the common sense that the planning board uses, along with health and safety requirements. We need modern thinkers who can lead us to more advanced ways of doing things to minimally regulate our life. Bring your talent to Master plan committee Public town Board Meeting. Doing this will help you appreciate your new Town. Remember, it’s your town too. What do you want urban expansion or metropolitan design? Be cautious, too many regulations only make the regulator and the Tax Assessor happy. Public Master Plan meeting June16, 2009 7:00 pm Town Hall Your input absolutely needed John Messere Life resident, landowner, businessman John Messere 51 Luther Rd West Monroe NY 315 6763406 Please do not print address or phone number

Master Plan needs help

A Master Plan for West Monroe is being drafted. The current proposal for West Monroe designates the Rt 49 corridor as the only Commercial area. It cripples business expansion of the numerous small businesses’ that we are fortunate to have located throughout the town. Business owners won’t be able sell their business property unless they are zoned Commercial or are located on Rt 49. They won’t be able to expand their current buildings, or build new ones. Your equity vanishes, Goodbye retirement! The major property owner’s rights are also endangered. The plan will restrict any property away from the Rt 49 corridor to be Residential. That means you, the property owner, will have no right to orchestrate a sale to Corporate America…. So long Home Depot! The current plan does not thoughtfully review the possibilities of the town. Creating a town with a massive majority of residential use and not allowing future expansion of a current business is outrageous. We are a working, commuting, recreational and business community. Land owners have rights too. They pay taxes, vote and supply your beautiful scenic view we all enjoy. Should you dictate who can sell or what their property must be used for? Rt 49 will become an even more dangerous and congested nightmare by making it the only commercial business area for our town. The road supervisor can certainly advise about traffic issues relative to the current transportation system, and I am sure has already done so. If the traffic count increases, I would guess NYS will add another exit to Rt 81 and change the current master plan. Alternate areas will develop on their own, if allowed. Some members of the committee selfishly want to create rules that that eliminate their own problems with the neighbors, or unsightly items across the street. The responsibility of restriction belongs to all of the local property owners in conjunction with the Town board. The Planning board administrates rules that the town and property owners must agree upon, through public meetings. We are a rural community and we need to think urban expansion, not metropolitan design