By Chris English
WRIGHT — Schoharie County Planning Commission members have given their blessing to a controversial proposal for a Dollar General Store in the Town of Wright, but that blessing did not come without stipulations.
The county planners voted 8-0 at their Monday, Dec. 9 meeting to recommend approval of the store, with the recommendation coming with modificaitons that landscaping and lighting must be done according to plan, that landscaping and lighting be finished to coincide with completion of construction of the store, and that the state Department of Transportation look at speed limits on roads going by the store to see if any need to be lowered.
The 10,640 square-foot Dollar General is proposed for a site at Shutter's Corners in the Gallupville hamlet of the town. Approval was recommended Monday night by county Planning Commission Chair Denise Lloyd and members Kayleigh Robinson, Becky Leggieri, Delores Benedict, Ron Ketelsen, Ray Gillis, Paul Koopman and Kathryn Saddlemire. The full board consists of 11 members. Koopman is an alternative member who sat in for a regular member who was unable to attend the meeting.
Zachary Thompson, a county Planning and Development Agency staff member who advises the planning commission and attends its meetings, explained that the recommended approval with modifications means that the Town of Wright Planning Board _ which has the final say on the matter _ would need a super majority to approve the store without the modifications. That would be at least five of the seven-member town board. To approve with the modifications would require just a simple majority of four members voting to approve, Thompson added.
The Town of Wright Planning Board will hold a special meeting on the Dollar General on Tuesday night, Dec. 17. The only member of the general public who attended the Dec. 9 county meeting was Wright resident Frank Weber, who lives near the site of the proposed store and talked expansively about all his various objections to it. They include increased traffic and noise, its proximity to wetlands, the land's historical significance related to the Revolutionary War, negative impact on community character, and the potential for accidents caused by the increased truck and other traffic and some dangerous curves near the site.
Weber added that he fears lights from the store will shine into his house. His other concerns are shared by many in the town and surrounding area. While saying they felt they had done all they can on the matter, county planning commission members encouraged Weber to attend Tuesday night's town meeting and voice his concerns.
"I would give a lot of credence to what he has to say," Lloyd noted.
At the Dec. 9 meeting, county planners also recommended approval of a zoning and map amendment in the Town of Richmondville, amended subdivision regulations in the Town of Schoharie, a comprehensive plan update in the Town of Summit, and a new dog kennel called Meadow Park Kennels in an existing barn in the Town of Carlisle.
All votes for recommended approval were 8-0 and were accompanied by 8-0 votes that the various agenda items had countywide significance.
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