‘Wake up, Woodbury’

‘Wake up, Woodbury’

To the editor:

A June 1, 2001, memorandum from Town of Woodbury Planner Stuart Turner to former Supervisor Ted Jones gives reasons for rezoning all existing two-acre and several one-acre parcels to three acres: traffic congestion, lack of sewer capacity, water supply near capacity, increasing school taxes, and increasing loss of semi-rural and suburban character of Woodbury.

Mr. Turner wrote: “... the Town does not wish to permit additional stresses by allowing new development within its borders.”

Since then, more than 250 homes have been built. And the current administration will vote on their proposed high-density cluster laws that will make development possible for Suburban (450 homes) and Legacy Ridge (281 homes). If those laws are passed, owners of more than 2,000 additional acres will also be able to apply for high-density zoning.

Why is the present administration ignoring the memorandum’s advice? Who will benefit from high-density cluster zoning? Certainly not the majority of Woodbury residents. We’ll be hit with escalating taxes, traffic and air and water pollution. That will be the legacy of the officials who pass the high-density laws, so they should be required to live in Woodbury for life and deal with their legacy.

Mary Gross-Ferraro

Highland Mills