Amherst, N.Y. (WBEN) - As the Amherst Planning Board reviewed a pair of proposals for the Boulevard Mall project on Thursday, one resident is voicing her objections, saying it will make that part of town unlivable.
Geri DiCosmo says one proposal will allow the town board to take over the project.
"This will allow the town board under the name of the Amherst Urban Renewal Agency, which, to me, looks like they're renaming themselves so they can be the oversight agency about what is exactly developed on this area," claimed DiCosmo in an interview with WBEN.
She believes that will take away the voice of the people to address the planning board.
"They are also taking some of the role of the planning department away and so that they have exclusive say over what goes on at this Boulevard Mall," DiCosmo said.
DiCosmo feels the town is not being transparent with the public.
"They may have been having meetings before this. But because of the ways these meetings are set up, they're not giving this information out. They seem to speak in code. The agendas are not very clear. We as a people feel we're being shut out," DiCosmo said. "You not only have to read the agenda, but you have to, in many instances, go to the planning board and actually find out what's going on, so that you can have a clearer picture in your head."
DiCosmo is also concerned about proposals for the mall.
"They are asking for an expansion of the zoning in this district, so that they can now build 10-story buildings. 10-story high rises with only a 75-foot setback from the road. This will irreversibly alter the character of the town," she said. "My understanding is that they're going to be used for student housing and faculty housing, and this is significantly different than the retail hub of the area, which it's been trending towards."
With all this, DiCosmo believes the Boulevard Mall is becoming a part of Amherst people don't want to live in.
"This is not an area of town where residents will be flocking to. There's so much development, there's so much traffic," DiCosmo said. "The residential Hamlet area that I live in is rapidly being overtaken by immense retail. I'm going to have a warehouse behind my house in the next year maybe."
She adds she can't imagine trying to sell her house, because she doesn't know who would be interested in moving in there.
Supervisor Brian Kulpa declined to comment until after Thursday's meeting.