With the most recent ECC Amherst Expansion decisions, it is pretty clear that our County Government continues to support sprawl despite having the “Anti Sprawl” Smart Growth law titled the State Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Policy.
§ 6-0105. State smart growth public infrastructure policy. It is the purpose of this article to augment the state’s environmental policy by declaring a fiscally prudent state policy of maximizing the social, economic and environmental benefits from public infrastructure development through minimizing unnecessary costs of sprawl development including environmental degradation, disinvestment in urban and suburban communities and loss of open space induced by sprawl facilitated by the funding or development of new or expanded transportation, sewer and waste water treatment, water, education, housing and other publicly supported infrastructure inconsistent with smart growth public infrastructure criteria.
For more information on the law, click here. If you want to check out the Buffalo regions SPRAWL BOMB, check this article out. You can read the law documents here: NY Smartgrowth Checklist & Anti Sprawl Smart Growth Policy Act ENV Section 6 edited
I don’t have time to comment about this issue in full just yet… I have yet to read the ECC Study which I will be reviewing tomorrow. If you want to know more about the ECC Expansion situation, you can go to http://www.youngcitizensforecc.blogspot.com for the last two years of key information and details. Until I have the ability to really comment, I leave you with a song called SPRAWL II by the Arcade Fire. Easily one of the best records ever for any urban planner/city lover. The video/song and lyrics are below.
“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock
These days my life, I feel it has no purpose
But late at night the feelings swim to the surface
‘Cause on the surface the city lights shine
They’re calling at me, come and find your kind
Sometimes I wonder if the World’s so small
That we can never get away from the sprawl
Living in the sprawl
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains
And there’s no end in sight
I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights
We rode our bikes to the nearest park
Sat under the swings and kissed in the dark
We shield our eyes from the police lights
We run away, but we don’t know why
Black river, your city lights shine
They’re screaming at us, we don’t need your kind
Sometimes I wonder if the world’s so small
That we can never get away from the sprawl
Living in the sprawl
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains
And there’s no end in sight
I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights
They heard me singing and they told me to stop
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock
Sometimes I wonder if the world’s so small
Can we ever get away from the sprawl?
Living in the sprawl
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains
And there’s no end in sight
I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights
I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights
Bernice Radle 
Joyce DiChristina
Hi Bernice Did you hear of the meeting tomorrow at D’youville college regarding their plans for the Prospect neighborhood? They are planning a parking lot at the old St Mary’s on the Hill site . Hope some of the young preservation group could attend.it is on councilman Rivera website Joyce DiChristina Sent from my iPhone