More may be heard on plaza’s traffic issues
It seemed like a push for pedestrian-friendly changes at Quaker Crossing plaza had run out of steam within the Orchard Park Town Board.
But residents might have their say on the issue during a public hearing set for 7 p. m. Wednesday in the Municipal Center.
The hearing is about a zoning exception that would allow a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant to be built at the edge of the plaza.
But Town Supervisor Mary Travers Murphy argues the issue is larger than that. Because the restaurant will generate more traffic, approving its construction is linked to the issue of safety for pedestrians at the 100-acre shopping center, she said.
Quaker Crossing landlord Gerald Buchheit has barred Metro buses from plaza-owned roads, saying they aren’t designed for foot traffic — a decision Murphy would like him to revisit.
“Mr. Buchheit is asking us to cut him a little slack; I think he needs to cut us a little slack,” Murphy said.
Buchheit declined to comment.
Metro buses currently stop on a town-owned road that crosses the plaza, leaving passengers to reach stores, restaurants and movie theaters on foot.
The restriction on buses rekindled memories of the bus ban at the Walden Galleria, which was blamed for the death of mall worker Cynthia Wiggins in 1995.
The Town Board voted 4-1 — with Murphy dissenting — to approve the restaurant on Nov. 5. That vote was rescinded after it was learned that a public hearing was necessary beforehand. A second vote is expected after Wednesday’s hearing.
Town Attorney Leonard Berkowitz has warned that a lawsuit could be aimed at the town for linking the zoning exception to an unrelated issue.
Defending her linkage of the issues, Murphy cites the narrow, 4-to-3 vote by the Planning Board to approve the zoning exception, sending it to the Town Board. The plaza is 152 parking spaces short of the number required under code, the Planning Board found.
Buchheit told the Planning Board that meeting records state that restaurant traffic peaks at hours when shopping is slow, alleviating concerns about parking and congestion.
The Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, near the plaza entrance on Amelia Drive, would be 6,100 to 6,500 square feet and seat up to 94, including 40 in a seasonal patio area.
The Target department store chain favors Metro buses in the plaza for its employees. Representatives of Regal Entertainment Group, which owns a theater complex at Quaker Crossing, were unavailable to comment.
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