We, the undersigned, ask the Town Board of Grand Island, NY to stop the Southpointe Development. We know that this development is not a "done deal" and that the Board has the ability to protect the forest and wetlands on the 284-acre property. The community is virtually unanimous in its opposition to this project, and we call on the Board to hear our mandate and take the following steps:

(1) The Town Board needs to go on record opposing this project

(2) The Town Board needs to deny any requests for extension of the sewer district

(3) The Town of Grand Island needs to require a State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) supplemental and comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement of the project and site

(4) The Town Board needs to commission studies of the impacts of this project, including a four-season ecological baseline study of the Spicer Creek tributary system; a comprehensive traffic study to assess congestion, air quality impacts, and the potential to degrade future business opportunities on the Island; ambient light and noise studies to determine potential effects on wildlife and the surrounding community; and an assessment of the impact on our volunteer fire company’s ability to respond to emergencies, as well as the ability of off-Island first responders to meet our emergency needs given the expected population increase and the risk assessment and emergency care needs of the target population for the proposed Southpointe Development

JUSTIFICATION

Because we live on an island, the ecosystem is fragile and changes to it affect the land, water, air, birds, and other wildlife who live on the Island and around us. Grand Island has been called the “jewel of the Niagara,” and is such an important ecological location that the Niagara River Corridor, within which Grand Island resides, has been designated a Globally Significant Important Bird Area and is recognized as one of the most important and threatened bird habitats on Earth.

Grand Island recently engaged in a long-range planning process to define its cultural, social, and economic vision for the future. During the development of the master plan (or comprehensive plan, as it is sometimes called) the public was repeatedly polled in order to get a sense of what we want as a community. And the message was clear: we want to stop large-scale development and protect green spaces and the character of our Island. The Southpointe Development is inconsistent with our goals, our plans, our health and wellness, and our responsibility to protect and enhance our environment for future generations!

The people of Grand Island have successfully opposed this project for more than twenty years! We collectively recognize that it has the potential to change our community, our quality of life, our access to critical services, and our ecosystem, and we call on the Board to listen to the community and reject this development!