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The Erie County Legislature has just a handfuk of days left to try and overridew the controversial proposal that will see the creatiojn of an Erie CountyPlanningb Board. There are few supporters in the locapl real estate and developmentf community who want to seethat happen. The deadliner is June 3. Most would prefer the planning board proposal would die a quiet andquicm death. Erie County Executive Chris Collinz vetoed the proposal onMay 14. He did so with strony backing from thebusiness community, particularlyy the construction and development “The last thing we need is more impedimentse to economic development,” said Colleen president and CEO.
The chamber has gone on recored opposing the creation of the countywideplanning board. The Legislature needs to find 10 votez fromthe 15-member body for the override. The measure was initiallyu approved bya 9-6 Garnering that crucial 10th vote may be considering the controversy the proposal has generated. The planningh board has been alternately praised by some who feel it would clampp down on sprawl issueas and condemned by those who believe it would only add another layer of government and create more hindrances for potentialprojects - ranging from residential subdivisions to shopping centers and officew buildings.
Supporters say a county planning board would be a milestone step in the path towardmore regional-driveh government. While regionalism effortd are noble, the countg planning board effort appears tobe misguided. “Wee should be doing everything we can to encourags development and the generation of tax dollarzs inErie County,” Collins said. “Instead, this bill create a powerless yet obstructive hurdle to developerz looking to invest in our The Erie County Planning Boarrd would only be advisory in its Understate law, all local municipalities have final and bindinbg say on all development projects.
Collinz said the board would further delay projects whilwe creating the opportunity for the Legislature to create more patronagejobs – a move that woulxd cost the cash-starved county an estimateds $500,000 annually. Collins said his budget includesd no funds from the creation and operation of a countywideplanning board. And he said he wonders where the money will come from to creatd suchan entity. “The intent is good, but it reallyt doesn’t help the region when it comessto projects,” said David Chiazza, vice DiPirro called it “duplicative.” The last regionao planning board, the Erie-Niagara Regional Planning Board, was dissolvex in the early 1990s.
It lacked any real teeth when it came to economi cdevelopment issues. Like politics, all planning issuesz are local. Municipal-specific planning and development boards make sense. Local residents know theitr towns better than thosewho don’tf live there. “I strongly believe in home rule and local saidMike Nolan, Town of Elma “I have no interest in givingy that control to a county planninhg board.” Local control aside, the creation of a countywide planning board even if it is just advisory – would send conflictingh messages to the development community, particularly site selectors. Gettingy development approval in Erie County can be problemati on itsbest day.
Rarely does a project sail througjh unscathed. No one is advocatin g for automatic rubber stampingof projects, but a procesz that is less fraught with anti-growth driven minefields would do wondersa for the local economic development scene. “Iy will cause delay, increase costs and add to the confusion already presentr in the protracted approvalprocess that, in most takes years to complete in most of Erie County’e communities,” noted Frank Chinnici, Legacy Development “It will only add delay and confusion to an already difficult process.” A county planning boare would add another layer to an alreadt complex project approval process.
It also opens the doorz to more questionsthan answers. Will it only confuse the issue or offer political covefr forlocal politicians? “The last thinbg we need is more impediments to economic development,” DiPirrlo reiterated.
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