CLARENCE, NY (WKBW) — We all know the popularity of Tim Horton for coffee Timbits, but some Clarence residents are saying ‘not in my backyard’.
There's strong opposition to the proposed Tim Hortons at Main Street and Harris Hill Road.
WATCH: ‘How many Tim Hortons do we need?’: Clarence residents opposed to a proposed Tim Hortons
7 News Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley covers the Northtowns for you to find out why residents are ‘brewing’ up opposition to this location.
“It's just going to cause problems that I don't think we really need,” remarked Joe Miano, resident.
I walked with Clarence resident Joe Miano along his Oakwood Drive neighborhood. He's against a proposal to build a Tim Hortons at a former bank building around the corner from his home at Main and Harris Hill, saying it could create more traffic and safety concerns for two nearby schools.
“Certain times of the day, the traffic is very, very bad, and then when you add Tim Hortons, the traffic patterns are going to be even worse. You’re going to have traffic backed up out into the street. You’ve got a school right down the street in the morning; they have school buses there, coming in and out of there, so, to me, from a traffic pattern, it's not good. It's not a good move,” replied Miano.
Some residents are showing their opposition with yellow lawn signs that are sprinkled throughout the neighborhoods that state “Our neighborhood is worth more than a cup of coffee. No Tim Hortons Drive Thru."
"You drive one mile east and you have a Tim Hortons, and you drive one mile south and you have another. How many Tim Hortons do we need? It just doesn't make any sense,” declared Miano.
Kelton Enterprises wants to open the location. It already operates 47 other area shops.
Clarence Town Supervisor Patrick Casilio tells me the company wants the former bank site because it already has a drive-thru, but the town spent a year trying to convince the company to consider a different option.
“It’s a pre-existing building, with a preexisting drive through, and the owners have come back to the town and not want to change the entrance into an exit or anything else with a building, besides its general appearance, so we have little control over what they can do or not do on the site at this time,” Casilio explained. “But when they said we're not going to change the entrance and exit, then there's nothing really we can do about”
I spoke with other residents off-camera, who, like Miano fear traffic exiting the Tim Hortons will cut into their quiet neighborhood to beat the traffic.
The town board recently voted to send this project back to the planning board.
“What’s your message to town leaders on this?” Buckley asked.“You have to do what's best for everyone, and that's your job is to not just cater to businesses, but you know these are residents. We’ve lived out here for many years, and they should have a say in it, too. It shouldn't be just a business decision. I do understand, I’m in business myself, but it can't always be a business decision. It has to be a decision that's best for the whole community,” responded Miano.
I did reach out to Kelton Enterprises for comment, but have yet to receive a response.
