Thursday, July 24, 2008
Sign the Petition Opposing the Hotel/Corporate/Retail Complex
If you are a Brighton resident opposed to changing zoning to allow construction of the giant hotel/office/retail complex at the corner of I-590 and Winton, you can sign our petition here.
Report on July 23, 2008 Open Forum Discussion of Costello Developments
The vast majority of speakers at Wednesday's open forum spoke in opposition to one or both of the proposed Costello developments - "the Reserve", which is the gated residential community, and the "Clinton Crossing Corporate Office and Retail Center", which is the hotel/retail/office center with almost double the parking of Pittsford Plaza. Speakers addressed the negative impact on recreational users of nearby parks, the increased traffic that would result on Winton Road, the excess of retail and office space in the area as a whole, the lack of development coordination with neighboring communities, the probable negative effect on property values of nearby residences, the positive effects of having more green space in a community, and other arguments against changing zoning to accomodate the two developments. It was also suggested that if the town is going to give Costello Development a change in zoning it ought to require more amenities in exchange than Costello is currently offering.
Anthony Costello Jr. and one other gentleman questioned claims I made in this blog and in the email I circulated in the community. Their claims boiled down to the following:
1. Use of the term "mall" for the hotel/retail/office center is inaccurate, as is use of the term "gigantic". Clearly proponents of the project do not like the use of "mall" because of its negative connotations. The term is inconvenient for them. However, the project includes 108,000 square feet of retail space, and almost double the parking at Pittsford Plaza. So I'm not going to apologize for use of the term "mall". From this point on, however, I'll be using hotel/office/retail center or the like. The impact of this project on the area, given the parking and total building space planned, would be similar to that of Pittsford Plaza. You can also think about the medical office development around Lac de Ville and Westfall as a comparison. This also leads to the question of whether more medical office space is needed in Brighton.
2. I did not cite specific studies in support of my claims that the proximity of green space often increases property values. I have cited one study in an earlier blog post. A summary of various studies on green space impact on property values can be found here.
3. I gave the wrong figure for Anthony Costello's donation to the Brighton Canal Days Festival. This is correct, and I noted the error in this blog, as well as at the town board meeting July 23.
Anthony Costello Jr. and one other gentleman questioned claims I made in this blog and in the email I circulated in the community. Their claims boiled down to the following:
1. Use of the term "mall" for the hotel/retail/office center is inaccurate, as is use of the term "gigantic". Clearly proponents of the project do not like the use of "mall" because of its negative connotations. The term is inconvenient for them. However, the project includes 108,000 square feet of retail space, and almost double the parking at Pittsford Plaza. So I'm not going to apologize for use of the term "mall". From this point on, however, I'll be using hotel/office/retail center or the like. The impact of this project on the area, given the parking and total building space planned, would be similar to that of Pittsford Plaza. You can also think about the medical office development around Lac de Ville and Westfall as a comparison. This also leads to the question of whether more medical office space is needed in Brighton.
2. I did not cite specific studies in support of my claims that the proximity of green space often increases property values. I have cited one study in an earlier blog post. A summary of various studies on green space impact on property values can be found here.
3. I gave the wrong figure for Anthony Costello's donation to the Brighton Canal Days Festival. This is correct, and I noted the error in this blog, as well as at the town board meeting July 23.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Study Shows Green Space Saves Community, Residents Money
Here is a 2000 news report on a University of Chicago study based on the Chicago suburb of Orland Park indicating that
1) Projected tax savings from development do not materialize because they are absorbed by increased municipal services.
2) Overdevelopment/reduction of green space can lower property values.
3) Preserving green space is a smart fiscal choice for a community. Overdevelopment is not.
Note that the first sentence of the article is a mistake on the reporter's part and contradicts the rest of the piece.
1) Projected tax savings from development do not materialize because they are absorbed by increased municipal services.
2) Overdevelopment/reduction of green space can lower property values.
3) Preserving green space is a smart fiscal choice for a community. Overdevelopment is not.
Note that the first sentence of the article is a mistake on the reporter's part and contradicts the rest of the piece.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Closer Comparison of Costello Hotel/Corporate/Retail Project to Local Malls
Pittsford Plaza has 2,225 parking spaces compared to the 3,420 in the Costello project. According to the company that developed Pittsford Plaza there is a total of 530,000 square feet of space (I assume this includes not just retail space) there. The Costello project calls for 1,000,000 square feet of floor space in the buildings (the footprints will be smaller because some of the buildings are multi-story). [Note added 8/6/08 - this last sentence is in error. One million square feet refers to the total area of the development including parking spaces.] Whether or not the buildings are multi-story, however, the total square footage impacts the amount of parking required. Another figure for comparison - Marketplace Mall has 945,000 square feet and something like 5,800 parking spaces.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Correction on Brighton Canal Festival Funding
In my earlier long post re: the purpose of the blog, I gave an incorrect figure for Anthony Costello's sponsorship of Brighton's Canal Days festival on August 10. Town Superintendant Sandra Frankel told me in an informal conversation that last year Mr. Costello donated somewhere between $2,000 and $3,000 to the festival, and this year he is giving approximately $3,500. These numbers are approximate. If anyone is interested I can ask the town for more precise numbers. Anyway, this was a large error (two orders of magnitude!) on my part and I apologize.
I removed the entire discussion of the canal festival funding from the original post.
Matt Lenoe
I removed the entire discussion of the canal festival funding from the original post.
Matt Lenoe
Friday, July 18, 2008
Clarification on the Two Costello Projects
Some readers are confused by the references to two different projects in the blog. The gated community project is referred to as "The Reserve" on Brighton's town website. The full proposal is up there. The hotel/corporate/retail project is separate, and, as far as I can tell, there is no information up yet on it at the town website.
There has also been an inquiry about the proposed value of the homes for sale in "the Reserve". I quote from p. 160 of the "Reserve" proposal. "Most homes in the Reserve will be valued at over $200,000 and upwards of $500,000. Hence the $600,000 figure in my earlier post.
There has also been an inquiry about the proposed value of the homes for sale in "the Reserve". I quote from p. 160 of the "Reserve" proposal. "Most homes in the Reserve will be valued at over $200,000 and upwards of $500,000. Hence the $600,000 figure in my earlier post.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Save Brighton, Stop the Corporate Center/Mall
The purpose of this blog is mobilize resident opposition to the construction of a giant hotel/corporate/retail (4000 parking spaces, double the size of the Pittsford Plaza Mall) and gated community planned by Anthony Costello Development on some of the last open land in Brighton, NY. Costello Development requires exemptions from town zoning regulations to build both of these projects. Costello Development certainly has the right to build on this land in accordance with town zoning. However, we see no reason why Costello should be granted zoning exemptions for two projects that will have a substantial negative impact on our town.
First, I ask that sympathetic readers who reside in Brighton go to http://www.PetitionOnline.com/savebri/petition.html and sign a petition opposing any rezoning for the Costello developments.
The area for the proposed hotel/corporate/retail complex at I-590 and Winton Rd. S. is zoned residential, as is the area for the gated community. In the latter, Costello is asking, I believe, for “waterfront” zoning, which will give him more flexibility.
The town board is apparently seriously considering granting these rezonings. However, Costello has to offer amenities for each proposal in order to obtain these rezonings.His amenity for the corporate/retail complex is the completion of Keating Blvd. to Winton Rd. S. which he needs anyway for access to his landlocked parcel.
I am very pressed for time here, but let me note a few arguments against both projects.
a)Although the projects would presumably increase the town's tax base in the short term, studies by respected economists also show that green space increases the property value of houses nearby. New residences will also increase the burden on the town's already full school system.
b)This gigantic project would be an inappropriate gateway to Brighton and compromise our new Buckland Park which it borders. There are already vacancies in every office park in this area.
c)A gated community for affluent "sophisticated" (Costello's adjective) buyers will tend to attract people who fear their neighbors and wish to remain exclusive. The whole gated community concept reminds me very much of the wealthy neighborhoods I saw in Mexico protected from the poor (who the occupants hate and fear) by high walls with broken glass embedded on the top.
d) The proposal will lead to a huge increase in traffic on Winton Road. If you want to see the prospect we are looking at, drive down Jefferson Road in Henrietta, NY and ask yourself if that is what you want in Brighton.
e) The hotel/retail/corporate project in particular follows an outdated model of "slash-and-burn suburbanization" in which one office park/mall is abandoned while another new one is built someplace else. With the rising price of gasoline, corporate downsizing, the telecommunications revolution, and the decline in available open space, this model is finished.
Below is a link to a short article from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle about the gated community project, with a brief reference to the gigantic mall.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/
pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080619/NEWS01/806190349/0/archive2.
What can you do? One to all of the following.
1. Sign the online petition referenced at the top of this post. Judy Schwartz and a friend collected over 200 signatures which they presented to the town board at the July 9 meeting.
2. Forward blog address to all of your friends and acquaintances in Brighton, or write your own email. It is vital that we quickly create a "viral" effect, as it seems that few Brighton residents are aware of these projects or their scale.
3.Attend the open forum at the next town board meeting, July 23, at 7 p.m., in the main auditorium at the Brighton Town Hall (by the town library). Bring a short written statement against the developments to read at the meeting and after reading, ask that it be put into the public record (this latter will not be done unless you provide the written copy to the stenographer). I will be at this meeting.
4. Write a letter to the editor on the subject to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle or the Brighton-Pittsford Post. Contact information for each newspaper is:
Letters to the Editor,
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
55 Exchange Blvd.
Rochester, NY 14614.
Email: dceditpage@DemocratandChronicle.com
Brighton-Pittsford Post
1 Grove St., Suite 101
Pittsford, NY 14614
Email: messenger@messengerpostmedia.com
5. Volunteer with me to collect signatures on the petition all over Brighton on Saturday, July 19 and/or Sunday, July 20. Email me if you can help.
THIS MATTER IS URGENT. COSTELLO IS TALKING ABOUT GETTING APPROVAL FOR THE ZONING EXEMPTIONS AND BREAKING GROUND ON THE PROJECTS THIS FALL. PLEASE HELP OUT BEFORE THE FALL COMES!
If you want more information on the projects and background email me (mlenoe@gmail.com) and I will tell you what I know. I'm still in the process of researching all of this. I urge you to collect information too and share it. You can also email Judy Schwartz at schwartz179@earthlink.net.
Thanks, and I hope very much you can find the time and energy to help out. The future of our community is at stake.
FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS (thanks to Judy Schwartz).
1. The RESERVE is the 350 unit residential proposal east of S. Clinton Ave. and west of Meridian Centre Park just below the canal. Costello is asking for a rezoning of the property to Waterfront Development. There will be $600,000 houses, condos, lofts, etc. Of course, there will be retail near the canal and that 's where the lofts are proposed to be built- 6 stories tall. Brighton code only allows 3 story buildings. There is info about this on Brighton's website.
2. Winton Rd. S./I-590 Costello proposal- 1M sq. feet of development (50,000 sq/ feet bigger than Marketplace Mall) 4,000 parking spaces (just about twice the size of Pittsford Plaza), a 5 story hotel, 30,000 sq. foot super market, 2 large national chain restaurants, conference center and retail shops. This land is zoned RESIDENTIAL according to the Town's Master Plan. The location is a gateway into Brighton. The traffic will be impossible. Costello has offered to complete building Keating Blvd. that will then extend from Clinton Ave. to Winton Rd. He is using a development tool, incentive zoning, which means that he has to offer amenities to the town in order to receive incentives- to do what he wants to do is not allowed by Brighton's Code. Costello is offering Keating Blvd. as one amenity, but he actually needs it to gain access to his "landlocked" parcel. This road is really self serving and not a true amenity.
First, I ask that sympathetic readers who reside in Brighton go to http://www.PetitionOnline.com/savebri/petition.html and sign a petition opposing any rezoning for the Costello developments.
The area for the proposed hotel/corporate/retail complex at I-590 and Winton Rd. S. is zoned residential, as is the area for the gated community. In the latter, Costello is asking, I believe, for “waterfront” zoning, which will give him more flexibility.
The town board is apparently seriously considering granting these rezonings. However, Costello has to offer amenities for each proposal in order to obtain these rezonings.His amenity for the corporate/retail complex is the completion of Keating Blvd. to Winton Rd. S. which he needs anyway for access to his landlocked parcel.
I am very pressed for time here, but let me note a few arguments against both projects.
a)Although the projects would presumably increase the town's tax base in the short term, studies by respected economists also show that green space increases the property value of houses nearby. New residences will also increase the burden on the town's already full school system.
b)This gigantic project would be an inappropriate gateway to Brighton and compromise our new Buckland Park which it borders. There are already vacancies in every office park in this area.
c)A gated community for affluent "sophisticated" (Costello's adjective) buyers will tend to attract people who fear their neighbors and wish to remain exclusive. The whole gated community concept reminds me very much of the wealthy neighborhoods I saw in Mexico protected from the poor (who the occupants hate and fear) by high walls with broken glass embedded on the top.
d) The proposal will lead to a huge increase in traffic on Winton Road. If you want to see the prospect we are looking at, drive down Jefferson Road in Henrietta, NY and ask yourself if that is what you want in Brighton.
e) The hotel/retail/corporate project in particular follows an outdated model of "slash-and-burn suburbanization" in which one office park/mall is abandoned while another new one is built someplace else. With the rising price of gasoline, corporate downsizing, the telecommunications revolution, and the decline in available open space, this model is finished.
Below is a link to a short article from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle about the gated community project, with a brief reference to the gigantic mall.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/
pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080619/NEWS01/806190349/0/archive2.
What can you do? One to all of the following.
1. Sign the online petition referenced at the top of this post. Judy Schwartz and a friend collected over 200 signatures which they presented to the town board at the July 9 meeting.
2. Forward blog address to all of your friends and acquaintances in Brighton, or write your own email. It is vital that we quickly create a "viral" effect, as it seems that few Brighton residents are aware of these projects or their scale.
3.Attend the open forum at the next town board meeting, July 23, at 7 p.m., in the main auditorium at the Brighton Town Hall (by the town library). Bring a short written statement against the developments to read at the meeting and after reading, ask that it be put into the public record (this latter will not be done unless you provide the written copy to the stenographer). I will be at this meeting.
4. Write a letter to the editor on the subject to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle or the Brighton-Pittsford Post. Contact information for each newspaper is:
Letters to the Editor,
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
55 Exchange Blvd.
Rochester, NY 14614.
Email: dceditpage@DemocratandChronicle.com
Brighton-Pittsford Post
1 Grove St., Suite 101
Pittsford, NY 14614
Email: messenger@messengerpostmedia.com
5. Volunteer with me to collect signatures on the petition all over Brighton on Saturday, July 19 and/or Sunday, July 20. Email me if you can help.
THIS MATTER IS URGENT. COSTELLO IS TALKING ABOUT GETTING APPROVAL FOR THE ZONING EXEMPTIONS AND BREAKING GROUND ON THE PROJECTS THIS FALL. PLEASE HELP OUT BEFORE THE FALL COMES!
If you want more information on the projects and background email me (mlenoe@gmail.com) and I will tell you what I know. I'm still in the process of researching all of this. I urge you to collect information too and share it. You can also email Judy Schwartz at schwartz179@earthlink.net.
Thanks, and I hope very much you can find the time and energy to help out. The future of our community is at stake.
FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS (thanks to Judy Schwartz).
1. The RESERVE is the 350 unit residential proposal east of S. Clinton Ave. and west of Meridian Centre Park just below the canal. Costello is asking for a rezoning of the property to Waterfront Development. There will be $600,000 houses, condos, lofts, etc. Of course, there will be retail near the canal and that 's where the lofts are proposed to be built- 6 stories tall. Brighton code only allows 3 story buildings. There is info about this on Brighton's website.
2. Winton Rd. S./I-590 Costello proposal- 1M sq. feet of development (50,000 sq/ feet bigger than Marketplace Mall) 4,000 parking spaces (just about twice the size of Pittsford Plaza), a 5 story hotel, 30,000 sq. foot super market, 2 large national chain restaurants, conference center and retail shops. This land is zoned RESIDENTIAL according to the Town's Master Plan. The location is a gateway into Brighton. The traffic will be impossible. Costello has offered to complete building Keating Blvd. that will then extend from Clinton Ave. to Winton Rd. He is using a development tool, incentive zoning, which means that he has to offer amenities to the town in order to receive incentives- to do what he wants to do is not allowed by Brighton's Code. Costello is offering Keating Blvd. as one amenity, but he actually needs it to gain access to his "landlocked" parcel. This road is really self serving and not a true amenity.
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