You Can't Have It Both Ways

Today's Register-Star reports that Greenport Supervisor John Porreca wants to do a traffic study focused on Fairview Avenue: "Porreca: Study of Fairview Ave. crashes proposed." In the article, Porreca is quoted as saying, "We're really concerned about the amount of out of town vehicles using that road and creating a bottle neck for residents." 

Porreca's comment brings to mind how, six years ago, during the pre-construction review of the controversial Widewaters shopping mall, people spoke enthusiastically about Greenport and Fairview Avenue becoming a "retail destination" for the region, attracting shoppers from miles around. You can't do that without having to put up with "out of town vehicles" on the road. Readers may also recall that during the review process the Greenport Planning Board was content with a traffic study that didn't go much beyond the intersection of Route 9 and Joslen Boulevard.

Pursuing the topics of traffic, retail, and Fairview Avenue, I discovered online this fact sheet from the developer about "Widewaters Commons at Greenport." The demographic statistics quoted are from 2012 so it must be fairly current. Some of the text is most interesting. The first bullet point makes these claims:

Widewaters Commons Greenport is located in Hudson, NY, the county seat of Columbia County. Hudson, NY is directly adjacent to the Hudson River and midway between Albany and Kingston, NY. The area is widely known for its art galleries and antique shops, and is also home to many properties on the state and national register of historic places. Hudson, NY has been called "The finest dictionary of American Architecture in New York State. [Note: Punctuation and capitalization are exactly as found.]

I find it bizarre that our little city should be used to promote something that is its antithesis.

The second bullet point, repeating the error that the Widewaters mall is in Hudson, asserts that "Widewaters Commons Greenport's addition to the Route 9 regional shopping corridor in Hudson has changed the way Columbia County shops, bringing shoppers from in access of 30 miles in every direction."