What is PDDG?

Please Don't Destroy Geneseo (PDDG) is a local citizens group that was founded in October of 2005 to oppose the Planned District Development (PDD) proposal of Newman Development to build the Gateway Town Center. The original Newman proposal was for a 170,000 square foot Lowe's and five additional retail buildings. In 2006 four of the additional buildings were eliminated from the proposal, but the Big Box Lowe's and a possible pharmacy remain.

On December 8th, 2005, PDDG attempted to present petitions with over 600 signatures opposing the project to the Geneseo Town Board, but was not allowed on the agenda. Please read the email correspondence preceeding the Dec. 8th meeting in which the Town apparently assured the developers that they would not take any citizen input.

Throughout much of 2006, PDDG played an active role in lobbying the Geneseo Town Planning Board to adopt a finding of significant environmental impact on traffic and community character, which they did on October 30, 2006. PDDG has continued opposing the proposal when the applicant submitted their Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) by providing public testimony and written comments.

PDDG has also played an active role in filing Freedom of Information (FOIL) requests for all available town records on the development. On March 30, 2007 PDDG filed an Article 78 proceeding against Supervisor Wes Kennison and the Town of Geneseo for failure to comply with the FOIL law. Judge Ann Marie Taddeo refused to order a requested search of the computer files of the town's attorneys and dismissed the case in June. That decision is currently under appeal.

PDDG is not opposed to all commercial growth, but we believe in fostering Smart Growth that is on a proper scale with the size of Geneseo. PDDG is a nonpartisan group made up of people from all political parties and will not endorse candidates or ballot propositions.