After I left the recent Easthampton Planning Board meeting where the Tasty Top/Sierra Vista development was approved, I felt sad that for the first time in 27 years here I wasn’t proud of my city.

In recent years, city government has done a fantastic job of soliciting community input on planning with the open space, smart growth, and city master plans. It felt good to participate in the large organized community gatherings and to have my voice and others heard and documented. I’ve always enjoyed civic participation attending Planning Board and Conservation Commission meetings.

I attended most of the Planning Board meetings about the Tasty Top development. It was inspiring to see the passion and number of people there in person and online. Nearly all spoke in favor of the city’s smart growth and open space guidelines and against the development as proposed. Those who spoke for the proposal, and most all those opposed, supported the child care and affordable housing.

An alternate design with all the development on less land, preserving agricultural and sensitive land near the river, was presented. The Planning Board asked the developer multiple times to respond to this design but he never did and remained remarkably silent on all community concerns.

The Planning Board chairperson was wonderful in managing the sometimes high energy in the room. At the final meeting, as the requirements the developer had to meet were read, I felt proud of our city expectations: preserving farm and conservation land, scenic views, minimizing tree-cutting, buildings that fit in with the nearby and larger community, maximizing affordable housing and more.

But as each requirement was read, said to be met or waived, and the board unanimously approved the plan, I was confused, surprised and deflated. Even a Planning Board member said he had to “hold my nose” to vote for it. It was as if in all the previous Easthampton planning, the community had been listened to and heard and then ignored. It made me discouraged about participating in city government and, unless I’m alone in that feeling, it’s not a good thing for Easthampton.

Roger Anderson

Easthampton