Overview of the ACCGPG
The ACCGPG is a 501c(3) not-for-profit grassroots organization that was founded in 1994 in response to development pressures on the environmentally-sensitive lands in the Allens Creek Valley, located just outside of Rochester, NY, in the towns of Brighton and Penfield.
The ACCGPG strives to protect these lands (especially Corbett’s Glen Nature Park) from adjacent development by working towards expansion of the park borders through conservation easements and land acquisition, and by actively participating in governmental regulation of proposed development in the area.
How you can help
The community needs to protect its public investment in Corbett’s Glen Nature Park!
The public investment and public benefit from Corbett’s Glen far exceeds any possible benefit that can be delivered by this development.
It is imperative that the community once again rallies to indicate their concern of this insensitive and damaging proposal on the Allens Creek Valley!
You can get involved in several ways:
1. COME TO THE PUBLIC MEETINGS!!
2. SEND AN EMAIL (or call!):
Send your concerns to the Penfield Planning Board at: planning@penfield.org and/or call your elected Penfield and Brighton town officials. Your input really does count!
3. JOIN THE ACCGPG to help us continue our preservation efforts!
4. MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION! We need your help in continuing our efforts to protect and preserve the Allens Creek Valley, including Corbett’s Glen Nature Park!
The ACCGPG is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that relies on the generosity of people who understand that our environmentally-sensitive lands are easy prey to the pressure of development as open land dwindles.
Your tax-exempt donation is deeply appreciated and will be used to further our preservation efforts so that future generations will be able to enjoy the beauty and splendor of the Allens Creek Valley!
Please make your check payable to and mail to:
ACCGPG
PO Box 25711
Rochester, NY 14625
For more information on upcoming meetings and to receive updates, send your e-mail address to: corbetts_glen@yahoo.com
Newspaper articles
March 6, 2008 Penfield Post article
Feb. 13, 2008 Democrat and Chronicle article
Feb. 11, 2008 MPN now.com article
Jan. 31, 2008 Penfield Post article
Jan. 2, 2008 City newspaper article
letters to the editor:
William D. Howe, President Allens Creek Valley Homeowners' Association.
Ruth Grace
Over 100 attend Feb. 14, Penfield Planning Board meeting to voice concern over new proposals. pics
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Current Happenings
CORBETT'S GLEN UPDATE!
PARKING GARAGE PROPOSAL TO BE REPLACED WITH NEW PLANS
Nightingale Properties, LLC has withdrawn its application for 4/6 story parking garage and 54,000 sq. ft. office building at the Linden Hills Office Complex, adjacent to Allens Creek and Corbett's Glen Nature Park and will be submitting new plans to the Penfield Planning Board in the near future.
In a letter to the Penfield Planning Board dated September 24, 2008, Paul D. Sylvestri, attorney for Nightingale Properties, stated:
"....Nightingale Properties is in the process of making substantial revisions to the proposed project and, therefore, requests that the Planning Board remove from its agenda completion of a formal scoping session. We anticipate that the revisions will require new sketch plan review as well as a new public scoping session.
...By incorporating insightful comments made during this process, Nightingale Properties is confident that its revised plans for further development of this parcel will benefit the community while being sensitive to its surroundings." (Link to full letter.)
At this time, Nightingale Properties has declined to share its new plans with the ACCGPG. It is estimated that the new plans will be submitted to Penfield in October or November.
While the ACCGPG reserves judgment on the new plan until it has been fully reviewed, our position on further development in the valley portion of the Linden Hills Office Park site is that it would have extreme and non-mitigable negative impacts to Corbett's Glen Nature Park and the Allens Creek Valley corridor, and as such, we will vigorously oppose it.
Parking Lot Expansion Approved for nearby Linden Hills Office:
In January of 2008, Nightingale Properties, Inc., sought and ultimately received approval from the Penfield Planning Board for an expansion of the existing parking lot on the 20 acre site immediately adjacent to Corbett’s Glen Nature Park.
The existing parking lot serves a 54,000 sq. foot office building whose sole tenant is Paychex, Inc. The approvals granted an expansion of the parking lot from 278 pre-existing spaces to 394 spaces.
The ACCGPG did not object to this expansion on the condition that the Penfield Planning Board would place a restriction on all future development of the site. The Planning Board did not grant this request, however it did approve a ‘lights off at 10pm’ condition on the approval, which the ACCGPG had lobbied for.
Petition for Building Moratorium:
In February 2008, the ACCGPG submitted a petition for a building moratorium on all Limited Industrial (LI) properties in the Town Board of Penfield.
In spite of having almost 1,300 signatures in support of the moratorium, Supervisor George Wiedemer and Penfield Town Board members unanimously voted to not act on the community’s wishes.
The proposed moratorium would have effectively allowed the Town to re-examine the zoning of LI properties in Penfield which had unique environmental attributes, giving them a special zoning classification which would have reduced the allowable building density.
Such a zoning re-evaluation would have been appropriate for the Linden Hills parcel at 430 Linden Avenue, which is the site of the proposed development next to Corbett’s Glen Nature Park. View the petition.