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Opposing the creation of a County Planning Board or Commission WHEREAS, Erie County Legislator Jeanne Vinal, representing portions of the Towns of Amherst and Cheektowaga, has recently contacted local officials regarding a renewed effort to reinstate the Erie County Planning Board; and WHEREAS, proposals of this nature have been opposed and rejected numerous times over the past two decades; and WHEREAS, based on the version of a draft local law shared and referenced by Legislator Vinal’s communication, this Planning Board would derive its mission and purpose from a regional growth plan adopted by Erie County in 2007; and WHEREAS, under this version of the law, only two of the nine voting members of this board would reside outside of the Cities of Buffalo, Lackawanna, and Tonawanda or the Towns of Amherst, Cheektowaga, Tonawanda, and West Seneca, leaving a large representation gap for communities that make up a majority of the land area of Erie County, and making no distinction between suburban and rural communities outside of first-ring suburbs; and WHEREAS, according to New York State Law, this board could have authority to review and reject certain local project proposals, or set conditions for the approval thereof, as well as act as lead agency under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, stripping away local control of the environmental impact review process; and WHEREAS, creation of such a board would add an additional and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy to the already daunting task of fostering constructive economic development within our region; and WHEREAS, the oversight and control conferred upon such a board would reduce the voice of local governments and the residents who would make decisions regarding land use within their own communities; and WHEREAS, local municipalities and the residents who elect their government officials deserve to retain autonomy and authority to determine their own development and zoning plans that best suit their communities; and WHEREAS, the State of New York has already been encroaching upon local control by proposing and enacting legislation that allows them to override local zoning regulations for various types of projects; and WHEREAS, the Town of Orchard Park desires to maintain the identity of our community and retain control over its vision for growth through local representation; and WHEREAS, the Orchard Park Town Board does not believe the establishment of an Erie County Planning Board would be in the best interests of the residents of Orchard Park or similarly situated municipalities across Erie County. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Board of Orchard Park believes it is crucial that local municipalities retain the right to determine their own planning actions; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Town Board of Orchard Park hereby opposes the creation of an Erie County Planning Board; and be it further RESOLVED, that certified copies of this resolution shall be sent to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, members of the Erie County Legislature, and the Erie County Association of Governments.