Recent evidence indicates that a strip mall was, is, has, and continues to be the prime objective of this development. Every other claim was an out and out fabrication perpetrated by the developer, a Republican Town Supervisor, Republican Town Board, a Republican Chamber of Commerce, and a Republican local newspaper. It will be no more a “Lifestyle Center” than the Galleria Mall is an example of modern urban living.

Thanks to a compliant Republican Town Board Amherst will get more congested, will see more streets widened, will see neighborhoods lose their suburban intent just because they and Benderson development really could care less about why you moved to the town. They will make Amherst into what they want you are not important to them.

And you know what, they will be successful. You will continue to let the developers run the town through their Republican surrogates by returning the Republicans to town office election after election.

You’ve been led down a slippery slope and sold a bill of goods that this sort of development enriches the town tax coffers. You just might want to finally call the supervisor and Republican town board member offices and ask a simple question, “With all the commercial, retail and residential development we’ve experienced in recent years, why is Amherst cash strapped and budgets being cut?”