As discussions about the new Costco plan rage, Penfield residents get a closer look at the design

Penfield, New York – On Thursday night, almost 150 individuals crowded into Penfield Town Hall to inquire further about a plan to introduce Costco to the community.

The town and the developer hoping to construct the second Costco warehouse store in Monroe County spoke to the community for the first time on Thursday.

Casey Wagner, a local, expressed concerns regarding devalued homes, infrastructure, and quality of life.

According to local Amanda Dake, “I think it’s going to bring a lot of good things to the community.” “I think that space will be developed no matter what down the road.”

The planned drawing designs for a sizable new development along State Route 250 and Sweet Corners Road were thoroughly examined by the developer’s attorney. The land is to be rezoned from mixed-use to a planned development district, with Costco serving as the anchor tenant.

Member of the Penfield Town Planning Board AJ Hetzke stated, “I will say, whenever I imagine what this area looks like, it’s not that.”

Opponents of the initiative loudly applauded Hetzke’s remarks after he finished speaking.

“As a resident who would be right in the core, the due evaluation of my home is a big concern,” Wagner stated.

Anthony Perrone, a resident, continued, “To consider the plan for approval would be arbitrary and capricious. It has no future.”

The town engineer, Mark Valentine, stated that the developer and the board still had a lot to think about.

“This is, again, just the first step, so this is the sketch plan portion of the project,” said Valentine. “It will then be a preliminary final application if they return. There will be a lot more planning and design work to be done if this is to continue, since they will return at that point with traffic studies, environmental reports, wetland delineations, and all the other design components as part of the project.”

The next stage, according to the town, was to draft a sketch plan document, which will be discussed at a future meeting of the planning board.

Neighbors’ opinions on the project are divided in the interim.

Wagner declared, “The infrastructure is not there.” “This is a green space, and it’s a beautiful place to live, and it just goes back to the quality of living.”

“I’d rather see it developed by a company like Costco that has a lot of positives,” Dake said.

“They offer competitive compensation and perks to its staff members. Since I am aware that some individuals are worried about green space, I believe they can include some thoughts for it.”