The cause for their concern was the re-zoning of a parcel of land located between Glann Road and Route 434 in Apalachin. The re-zoning would change the property from Residential B and General Business to Residential C.  Such a change would permit 58 multi-family residential buildings for "low income and senior citizen families" in an area that is all single family housing.

      For more than an hour, members of the standing-room-only crowd of concerned citizens voiced their opinions, thoughts, and concerns to the planning board. 

     None of the  citizens who spoke  were in favor of the re-zoning. Not one. They all spoke out against the zoning change. 

     And yet, even though the Tioga County Planning Board listened to the voice of the people for more than an hour, they voted 7 to 3 in favor of the zoning change. 

     The Tioga County Planning Board stated that even though they let the developer give details of the project, and that they listened to the citizens' concerns about the project, they would not take that into consideration  in making their decision.

     The final decision for the re-zoning is now in the hands of the Town of Owego Town Board, which will hold a public hearing on this matter. The tentative date for the hearing is September 16, at the Tioga County Office building at 56 Main Street in Owego. (Check www.tiogaweb.com for last minute date changes.) 

     When the Town of Owego Board meets to consider this re-zoning issue, they must take into consideration the concerns of the residents, such as those voiced at the August 20 meeting. 

     But they should also consider this: When the current residents of Apalachin chose to live in that community, they made that decision based on the zoning of the property around them. To change that zoning now would make a dramatic change in the area, and lower the property values. 

     This zoning change should not happen.

     People have moved to Apalachin over the years because its housing is  predominantly single family. It should remain as such.

     The voters and taxpayers of Apalachin have elected the Owego Town Board in hopes that they would keep this area the mostly  residential (single family) community it has been, and should remain. 

     Let us hope the Town of Owego Board will listen to the voice of their constituents and vote against the zoning change.

     Perhaps the developers of multi-family residential buildings for low income and/or senior citizens should consider two properties that do not have to be re-zoned, and are close to existing services:  1) the old Owego-Apalachin Middle School property on Elm Street in the Village of Owego (more than 20 acres), and 2) the land  owned by Tioga County on the Southside of Owego on Rt 434 - the county has been looking for developers for that parcel for years.