Meetings with Developers Disclosed

At the April Planning Board Meeting, some ears perked up when a representative of a prominent developer inadvertently disclosed the company had been in a meeting with the Supervisor and “other town officials” from the Planning and Zoning Boards in the Supervisor’s Office. That developer is BET Investments who are building the controversial mall at RTs 4 and 43 and own the rights to develop the property across the street on RT43 from the mall under construction.

There was some questioning from a Planning Board member who was surprised that such a meeting had taken place and naturally a great many issues and questions arise from the disclosure. For example, who else attended the meeting and how were certain members selected to attend? What precisely was discussed at this meeting? Was it in any way appropriate for town officials to meet privately with a developer and completely outside the transparent public process established and required by law which allows critical decisions on development to be discussed and decided in public?

Frankly we don’t know the answers to these questions, but it is clear that such a meeting raises serious questions of impropriety and secrecy that undermine public confidence in the planning process. Such meetings, held in secrecy, open town officials to charges of deciding important public policy issues outside the legally established and open process expected and required.

It should be emphasized that this developer is not simply someone entering town for the first time and introducing himself to town officials to gather initial information about the town’s development process. This is a seasoned, well established developer with two significant projects well underway who knows the ropes and all of the players.
Town officials have some explaining to do on the conduct of such meetings and their justification. We expect that there will be some fallout from the disclosure in the very near future.