<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Thank you for the eloquent and well stated email Jo. What happened yesterday should be sufficient grounds for a reversal on appeal. I'd also suggest we return Mr Tedesco's favor and FOIA/PIA the county's email and record. I'm actually flabbergasted that the planning board did this. They are being fairly flagrant in their violation of legal standards and the grounds for appeal or numerous although it's a high barrier to win<br><br><br></div><div><br>On Sep 11, 2015, at 11:17 AM, Jo Arnone <<a href="mailto:joarnone@yahoo.com">joarnone@yahoo.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font-size:13px"><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_3616" style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_3615" style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_3624" class="y_msg_container"><br><div id="yiv7056488025"><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_3646" dir="ltr">To the Mayor, Town Council, and citizens of Riverdale Park:<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_3652"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_3653"><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_3674" dir="ltr">Thank you all for the work you have done and the efforts placed in standing against the proposed 7-Eleven at the corner of Route 1 and Sheridan Street. <br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_3713" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_3742" dir="ltr">As someone who testified both here in Riverdale Park and at both Planning Board meetings, I am appalled by the outcome and the manner in which the Planning Board came to its decision. Once the Council for the Planning Board became involved in aggressively questioning witnesses and defined the issue at hand in the most narrow of terms, keyed to only a single, small paragraph within the plan document and acknowledged their role in the creation of the staff report advocating the application's approval, the die was cast and the Board's decision seemingly preordained. No matter how many times a motion, which sought to approve the application, was voted down, a new motion would be introduced demanding another vote until the application was approved. <br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_3904" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_3905" dir="ltr">Now that the Planning Board has voted, and in my opinion abrogated their responsibility to uphold the plan and obfuscated the plans intent, the only recourse we as a community have is to ask relief from the courts. The issue facing this application is not a simple one regarding whether a 250 foot enclosure is permitted or not but rather whether development done within the confines of the plan zone should be allowed even if it has an adverse and negative impact on the community the plan was designed to serve. It is also imperative that the guideline to work with input from the community, as stated within the plan, not fall by the wayside. <br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_5585" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_5586" dir="ltr">A high traffic business functioning 24 hours a day and 7 days per week does not belong on this site and voices from multiple facets of our community, all in opposition, are loud and clear. All of us understand that far more is at stake here than a single convenience store operating around the clock. The vitality of the development plan, which has served well for over 10 years, is in peril. <br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_4927" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_4928" dir="ltr">Please continue to stand with the residents of Riverdale Park by taking the necessary legal action to see it stopped. <br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_6394" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_6527" dir="ltr">Again thank you all for what you have done, not only regarding this application but in seeing that the development of our town is done in the right way. I am sure it hasn't been easy but to date you have accomplished the task of maintaining the character of Riverdale Park while allowing sensible development.<br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_3655"><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1441992608308_3654"><br></div></div><br></div></div></div><br><br></div> </div> </div> </div></div></blockquote></body></html>