Letter to the Editor: What is a Town Center?

Since the early 1990’s and 2000’s the Town of Warwick has consistently won recognition for its ability to retain its small-town appeal, while preserving its central business districts and retail stores. It has an established presence in the Hudson Valley as a tourism destination because of its picturesque countryside and healthy downtowns.

Over the years, it has been featured in New York Times articles, Fodor’s Short Escapes Guide, and other travel guides. It was showcased in a 2008 UN Commission on Sustainable Development tour; won awards from America in Bloom; and visited by national experts on avoiding Suburban Sprawl.

This status has evolved not by accident, but through hard work and careful planning over the years by community leadership, volunteer committees, our mayors, town supervisors and professional planners. We have benefited from input from organizations such as NY Main Street Alliance, Countryside Exchange, Quality Communities Committee, Community 2000 and many more since.

Warwick has been subject to the same population growth pressure and loss of agricultural lands as the rest of the region, and yet has managed it well with good planning. This progress was not predicated on rejecting all growth or stifling commerce, but to direct and control it, wherever possible, by zoning and planning, and an overall commitment to what sets us apart.

We have only to look at surrounding communities near and far to appreciate the alternative.

The description of the proposed Blain Town Square along Route 94 raises obvious concerns. The terms ‘mixed use’ and increased housing sound good as concepts, but gyms, recreational entertainment, and formulaic chain stores located along a strip of highway with no sidewalks, or road capacity does not sound like good planning.

When developers refer to these as “Town Centers” we are going to have to decide if this is what we want for our downtowns.

Linda Glohs
Warwick