Dear Main Street,

There has been a lot of discussion in Greenwich lately regarding the need for senior housing. Rather than having such a facility on the outskirts of the village, locating it in the village core would help to offer a more vibrant life to it's residents.

Should the deal between the Village and Glens Falls Hospital to develop a satellite health care facility on the grounds of the former IGA fall through, then I believe that the Village should explore having the property developed as independent senior housing. Residents would, in warm weather, be able to walk to church, the library, the post office, the K-Mart Plaza and numerous restaurants and banks. The only facilities that would be out of walking range for most seniors would be the pharmacy and food store.

Right across the street from the former IGA is a beautiful, and rarely used park, which would be an ideal setting for seniors to sit in the sun and converse. Rather than let the IGA property sit empty and not contribute to the tax stream, it's time to look beyond a deal that has been in the works but without an end in sight.

While neither Price Chopper nor Stewarts are in the housing business, both companies are locally owned and have excellent reputations for community service. If approached correctly, either one might be willing to develop the property as a dual-use residential / commercial business.

When the Village purchased the IGA property, I thought it was a good way for the Village to control what type of development to allow on such an important piece of village real estate. If a deal with Glens Falls Hospital cannot be worked out to the betterment of our village, it's time to move on and look for better opportunities.

Sincerely,
David Doonan
August 2006