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New Amityville Civic Association calls for Smart growth and careful planning Dear Editor: Many of the residents are unaware of the proposed plans underway for the development of Merrick Road in Amityville Village. Not only is the beauty and charm of our community being destroyed but poor planning and overdevelopment will most definitely affect the value of our homes! As residents of Amityville we need to take notice of the rapid changes that are happening. Some are good, some not so good. Recently, we have seen some effort made on the part of our elected village officials to improve the area along Merrick Road. A beautiful Nautical Park has been added, Stop & Shop has replaced an outdated shopping center, and we have also learned that a grant was obtained to install antique lighting along the corridor. This is good. A recent law was passed limiting the expansion of automotive businesses, but through loopholes in the village codes such businesses are being allowed to expand. At the same time, there has been a major building boom taking place. In the last five years, we have seen two townhouse developments spring up behind existing buildings, Dolphin Fitness has more than doubled in size, and a drive through bank was built. This has resulted in a significant increase of traffic on Merrick Road. A proposed strip mall consisting of thirteen to fifteen un-leased retail stores is slated for the southwest corner of Merrick Road at South Ketcham Avenue. This will dump additional traffic onto South Ketcham Avenue, as it would be impossible to exit westbound traffic onto Merrick Road. Also in the works is yet another proposed strip mall and CVS Drugstore for the corner of County Line Road and Merrick Road. The existing congested traffic conditions pose a danger to the environment and safety of the residents. It is frightening to think of the effect this additional traffic would have on emergency vehicles responding to calls within the community north and south of Merrick Road. This is not so good. While we all long to see improvements take place, we must be mindful that smart growth starts with careful planning. Would you consider these projects to reflect smart growth with careful planning? Bay Village Civic Association Readers can contact the Association at:
bayvillagecivic@aol.com.
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