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Brighton Supervisor calls for reducing the size of the Whole Foods project

Brighton Supervisor Bill Moehle is calling on the developers of the Whole Foods Project to shrink the size of that project and make some other changes.

Moehle is calling on the Daniele Family Companies to scale back the project by removing one of four buildings proposed, or find another area on the property where they could remove 6,300 square feet.

“I think it would do a number of things, it would shrink the footprint which means there would be less impervious service, better ability to buffer, maybe more flexibility in terms of planning ingress-egress, and certainly to some extent an impact on traffic,” Moehle told WXXI News.

He also wants the developer to enter into a permanent agreement to prohibit access from the project on to Clover Street and Allens Creek Road. 

“The proposal did not involve access onto either one of those roads but neighbors were concerned that their neighborhood might become a cut-through, so we thought it was appropriate to require this additional level of commitment on the part of the developer.”

The project has generated a lot of controversy, with some nearby residents worried about increased traffic. The supervisor says the Whole Foods project has the potential to be a win for the community, but only if the town can protect Brighton neighborhoods.  

“This is really a follow-up to the most recent public hearing, but the series of public hearings that the town board has held concerning the environmental review of the project and we listened to what we heard from people, we evaluated some of the environmental impacts.”

Moehle says if he developer agrees to make the changes, the town would consider what is called a “findings statement,"which is a major step in the approval process, at its March 28th meeting.

Daniele company officials could not immediately be reached for comment by WXXI News, but Danny Daniele was quoted by the D&C as saying his company plans to consult with their legal team. He told the paper that they are open to making changes, as long as they make “economic sense.”

An organization called Save Monroe Avenue, which says it consists of businesses along Monroe who have problems with the Whole Foods proposal, issued a response to Moehle’s comments on Wednesday, saying that the town of Brighton has admitted what that group has been saying all along, that the project is too large for the area.

The statement is calling on the town to require a smaller Whole Foods Market, rather than calling for downsizing a smaller building on that property.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.