- By Dan Veaner
- Opinions
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I miss the Sure Fine. Or was it the Sure Save? I never knew for sure, but I loved it because it was close to home. It wasn't the greatest market in the world, but it was ours and I loved it. Actually they had a pretty good meat department, though their produce was so-so. I knew where everything I wanted was, and if I started making chocolate chip-raisin cookies and realized I was out of chips it only took ten minutes to go there and get some.
Affordable housing, density and growth are the "it" issue in Lansing right now. Everyone just assumes it will happen in the southern part of town once there is sewer service. If the County does contribute to the sewer project they're going to require some zoning changes in Lansing that will encourage more building.
Sciarabba suggested that the zoning be changed near the Town center to encourage new homes there. As density grows businesses will be attracted including a market, maybe a laundromat, doctor's offices -- things that people can walk to or drive a short distance to.
That seems attractive to me. Not that I don't enjoy driving down through the Triphammer construction zone to get to Tops, but it's more than a little annoying to make a half-hour or more round trip to get those chocolate chips than it used to be when the whole thing took ten minutes. Call me crazy, but wouldn't it be great to have a doctor's office within walking distance of Woodsedge?
Density near the Town center might also attract restaurants, particularly the kind that deliver. I live north of Asbury Road, which is apparently the far northern limit for food delivery (except for one nearby restaurant that is closed when I happen to want something from it). I've joked about ordering food from some place in the Village and having them deliver it to my car parked somewhere on Asbury, though I haven't tried it yet. How much more convenient it would be if they'd deliver to my house!
Cayuga Heights has a lovely village center with shops, a gas station, doctors offices and restaurants. It gives the village some sense of identity and is handy for its residents. The Town of Lansing has a unique opportunity to create something like that, something that fits the Town's own personality and attracts businesses and jobs into Lansing. "That's brilliant!"
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