An interesting guest editorial appears in today's Observer-Dispatch: Whitestown farm sacrificed for sake of development. It is the personal story of Michele Roberts, one of the owners of the Hearts Hill Farm, and describes how their farm was cut in two by Route 840, is being despoiled by runoff from fill placed on neighboring properties, and how she and her husband received a deaf ear from Town officials. Apparently, "development" is king . . . and Whitestown will soon be going the way of New Hartford.
Does it make sense from the perspective of Greater Utica to be sticking commercial development on Route 840 on the edge of the population center? Isn't the mixed landscape that we (used to) have, with development concentrated in Utica and the neighboring villages surrounded by farmland, what made this place "home?"
We need to start thinking about what we are giving up when we allow our government to encourage "development" of green fields. . . .and whether or not our arrangement of local governments may have played a role in the destruction of our environment.
For more on the Roberts' situation, with pictures, see Unadilla Ramblings : Hearts Hill Farm Part One and Hearts Hill Farm Part Two.
4 comments:
Pretty sad that what was once an old apple orchard turned into a dumping ground for all the crap they took out of the right-of-way for Rt. 840. I remember driving by that site every day and seeing truck after truck dump loads in there.
Any kind of rules of regulations for that maybe?
Just what that area needs is commercial development. NOT!! Where they gonna come from anyway? Just the usual hop scotch parade of moving from here to there with local businesses
Strike I agree with you. I live in not too far from the farm and I would hate to see a gas station destroy an existing neighbor /business. I’m usually pro development but a gas station is not development. Put the gas station near the new Hartford Insurance
I feel sorry for these people. Urban sprawl is a sign of the end of a community.
Yet these same officials are routinely re-elected, or swapped for their hand-picked, home-groomed replacements.
What's that say?
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