[RP TownTalk] Riverdale Corner

[Marc Molino]

I respectfully disagree with the poster who said we don't owe Pete & Sons 
anything other than shopping at their current establishments--there is a 
balance to be struck between preserving aspects of our town and growing it, 
between holding developers accountable to our guidelines and making it so 
difficult to develop here that nobody wants to. Seems to me Pete & Sons have 
done a good job of trying to stick as close to possible to the guidelines, 
while still creating an economically viable development. If you are against 
condos, I can respect that--it's not my first choice; however, I like the 
idea of increased retail space (presuming it gets filled) and I think the 
more active/crowded the town center is, the better chance it has at growing 
and staying viable.

Admittedly, I'm torn--I like the small town feel of Riverdale Park and I 
applaud those who've put in so much effort to maintain and upkeep its 
historic roots, but I'd prefer an active, working community to empty 
buildings. It seems like Riverdale Park is at a bit of a crossroads and may 
need to accept some change in order to grow. I also think the heart and soul 
of the town is its people and not its architecture or its businesses--these 
have a big impact, but attempting to recreate or continually pay homage to 
styles or trends of the past seems a bit ersatz.

Just my two cents,
Marc Molino
(4801 Queensbury Rd.)

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