Sarah Taddeo

@sjtaddeo

Wegmans has joined the scrum of voices raising concern about a possible development along Monroe Avenue that would include a Whole Foods grocery store and other retail establishments.

The Daniele family has been looking to develop the project in Brighton for several years, but they've hit opposition from nearby neighbors and businesses who've said the project is too big for the area and could bring crippling traffic to the major east side roadway.

The project is moving through the town's development process, but the Danieles have now said the process has been delayed, at least partly, by Wegmans' influence.

"Ever since Wegmans voiced their opposition about Whole Foods directly to the Brighton Town Board, it seems the project began to encounter additional delays," Danny Daniele said in an email, adding that the 90,000-square-foot project seemed to receive much more scrutiny than other projects in the area.



The Monroe Avenue corridor is congested during the peak hours of the day, and a Wegmans store and shopping plaza are located less than a mile down the road in Pittsford.

The project is being examined by the town under the state's quality review procedures, which is the same process every major development project goes through, said Brighton Town Supervisor Bill Moehle.

"We're engaging in an environmental review, as we always do, and it's a thorough review," he said. Last month, the town deemed the developers' supplemental review documents incomplete, meaning the Danieles have to reformat the submission, which includes the developers' responses to public comment on the project, before returning it to the town.

Brighton project brings worries about traffic jams

Wegmans representatives doubled down on their past comments regarding the proposal, adding that snarled traffic is the main issue, not possible competition with a Whole Foods store.

“This project is too large for what zoning allows, and the traffic problems it will create will impact every business and commuter on Monroe Avenue,” read a statement from Wegmans spokesperson Jo Natale. “We are not alone in voicing these concerns.”

Ralph Uttaro, Wegmans’ senior vice president of real estate and development, sent a letter to the town’s associate planner last May, writing that the grocery chain found the proposal’s potential traffic impact on Monroe Avenue “alarming.”

He cited an April letter from the New York state Department of Transportation that said nearby intersections could see significant traffic jams stemming from the proposal.

“We believe in responsible development that balances the interests of landowners seeking to develop their properties with the interests of the larger community,” he wrote. “We urge you to make sure that this project will not result in any material adverse impact on the public, our customers and our business.”

Neighbors have been speaking out for years on the proposal’s possible traffic impact on that section of Monroe Avenue, pointing out traffic issues and asserting that the project doesn’t seem to jibe with the town’s zoning code.

Many residents and nearby businesses would like to see the plaza developed, said Dan Spitzer, attorney for local business group Save Monroe Ave. The plaza currently holds the now closed establishments Mario’s restaurant and Clover Lanes bowling alley, plus a smattering of other small businesses.

"This is not a matter of saying, 'You can’t do any project there,'" said Spitzer. "You have a right to develop your property. But this is a plaza that should be developed as the law currently calls for."

The project review process has included several traffic studies, public hearings and environmental impact review forms, as per the state project review procedure.

The Danieles have also submitted an incentive zoning application for the parcel, which looks at providing the town various amenities, such as improvements to a walking trail, in exchange for zoning variances. Neighbors have said that the amenities the developers have offered, such as a traffic light and the preservation of about an acre of open space nearby, do not match the amount of zoning variances sought for the project.

STADDEO@Gannett.com