Knowing when to build, when to preserve and when to say no

Every decision about Yorktown’s future carries a responsibility to the people who live here today and the generations who will follow us.

We must maintain our infrastructure, encourage investment, and provide the services residents expect while protecting the character that makes our town special.

Our logo states “Progress with Preservation.” Those words express the balance I believe responsible leadership must achieve.

Yorktown’s identity comes from our five hamlets, historic landmarks, working farms, open spaces, and established neighborhoods. It also comes from our local businesses, community organizations, and the relationships that make a town feel like home. As we plan for the future, all of these deserve consideration.

Preserving that identity takes active work. A vacant storefront, deteriorating building, or neglected commercial property can weaken a neighborhood. Thoughtful redevelopment can restore those places, support local businesses, and create opportunities to improve drainage, sidewalks, roads and public spaces.

The key is making careful decisions about where growth belongs, what form it should take, and whether our infrastructure can support it.

Smart growth begins with questions. Does a proposal fit its surroundings? How will it affect traffic and nearby residents? Are water, sewer and emergency services adequate? Can historic features, trees and open space be preserved? What benefits will the project bring to the broader community?

Those questions deserve clear answers. A project should earn approval through its merits, with meaningful review and attention to residents’ concerns.

Our Planning Board provides an important check and balance in that process. Its land-use expertise and careful review help identify potential problems, evaluate proposed solutions and inform sound decisions. Strong opinions grounded in planning principles, together with professional technical review and public input, help us assess a proposal’s long-term consequences.

That standard also means being willing to reject proposals. The proposed cell tower on Granite Springs Road would have disturbed wetlands. The proposed transfer station on Route 6 raised a different question about appropriate land use and compatibility with the surrounding community. Both are examples of projects that were turned down. Economic activity or a proposed service does not, by itself, make a particular location appropriate.

The Hidden Valley proposal, also known as Navajo Fields, demonstrated why residents’ voices and careful scrutiny matter. The applicant ultimately withdrew the request to expand the overlay district. While that was a withdrawal rather than a formal denial, the broader point remains: a developer’s request does not create an obligation for the town to accommodate it.

We have also acted to protect residential neighborhoods by banning large-scale, ground-mounted solar installations in our residential zones. Supporting renewable energy requires thoughtful decisions about placement and scale. Rooftops and other appropriate locations offer opportunities to pursue solar while preserving the land and neighborhood character residents value.

Residents should judge our approach by both the projects that move forward and those that do not. Responsible leadership requires the judgment to recognize the difference.

Underhill Farms illustrates another side of that balance. The property presented the town with vacant buildings, deteriorating structures and a historic mansion in need of preservation. Redevelopment provided an opportunity to preserve the mansion while bringing housing, additional tax revenue, and improvements to roads, stormwater systems and sidewalks. Decisions of that scale require us to weigh preservation, neighborhood impacts and the property’s future together.

Commercial revitalization serves another important purpose. A healthy business community helps support the services we all rely on. As costs rise, strengthening our commercial tax base is one way to help limit the burden on homeowners. Redeveloping underused commercial properties can also bring activity and investment back to places already intended for business.

Protecting taxpayers and protecting community character are connected responsibilities. Both require planning beyond the next application or budget cycle.

That is why completing the update to Yorktown’s Town Master Plan is a leading priority. It should provide a clear framework for where development makes sense, where preservation should take precedence, and what infrastructure investments are needed. Residents deserve a meaningful voice in shaping that direction, and applicants deserve clear expectations.

Our hamlets and neighborhoods have different needs. A proposal appropriate for one location may be unsuitable for another. Good planning respects those differences while considering the needs of the town as a whole.

As Supervisor, my responsibility is to weigh these competing interests, listen carefully, and make decisions based on Yorktown’s long-term interests. Sometimes that means supporting a project. Sometimes it means requiring changes. Sometimes it means saying no.

Progress with Preservation is a commitment to manage change thoughtfully: to welcome investment that strengthens Yorktown, protect the places and traditions we cherish, and leave the next generation a community that remains unmistakably our own.