Swan Lake

To the editor:

As a lifelong resident of Swan Lake, and a person who has devoted countless hours of community service to the beautification and historic preservation of the hamlet I love, I am beyond heartbroken by the path Town of Liberty Supervisor Frank DeMayo is taking us down.

Much time and energy on the part of many residents and one board member went into the rezoning process. I am, therefore, shocked that the board is willing to even consider Lake Hills Estates as a Planned Unit Development. I am absolutely in favor of RESPONSIBLE development that conforms to the present code, but this does not, nor does it meet ANY of the criteria of a PUD.

Liberty Town Code (Section 147-23) states that a PUD must be on a contiguous piece of property which Lake Hills Estates is not: therefore, the town would have to change the zoning to accommodate the developer. Doing so has very serious implications for ALL residents of the Town of Liberty, as it will set a precedent for PUDs in any zone. The developer knew when they purchased this property that it did not conform. Did they know something the rest of us do not?

Sending this on to the planning board is literally kicking the can down the road, when it should have been stopped at the first town board meeting on September 18. The quality of life of current residents should certainly be the board’s primary consideration! Allowing this development to proceed is a serious mistake and one that the board will not be able to correct.