I agree with the letter from Roger Anderson published in the Nov. 30 Gazette where he expressed his disappointment and emotional reaction to the approval of the Tasty Top/Sierra Vista development in Easthampton [“A discouraging moment for Easthampton’s community planning”]. Like Mr. Anderson, I attended several Planning Board meetings where the project was presented and discussed, but I was unable to attend the final meeting due to a conflict. It became clear to me well before the final meeting that the project was going to be approved pretty much as proposed.

The disappointment and frustration of many people who attended the meetings in person and online and were opposed to many aspects of the project were just going up in smoke. Where was the revised plan that made the apartment buildings of the project look less like big box stores? What happened to the alternate plan proposed that used less of the precious wetland and farmland, that preserved the many old trees and habitat? Ignored by the developer and not required by the Planning Board, these ideas disappeared. It’s true that the project is being reviewed by agencies of the commonwealth to analyze its compliance with regulatory requirements and impact on air and water quality, loss of farmland and habitats, wetlands, traffic, lighting and so on, but mitigation of impact will not replace the existing condition of the land.

In the end, for the sake of Easthampton, gaining 35 affordable apartments (yes, that’s all out of 202 residential units), our city will see nine residential buildings plus 60,000 square feet of commercial space, more than 12 acres of paved parking and road surface with four acres of trees cut down. And the new traffic on already congested route 10? The estimate is 4,400 new vehicle trips per day in addition to the 1,000 trips per day anticipated for Starbucks. How will traffic from Tasty Top/Sierra Vista access route 10 — via a roundabout (smaller than a rotary) at the entrance opposite Mountainview Street (near Cernak Fuel). What can be done now that the project is approved? Will complaining to city and state officials achieve anything?

Nancy Natale

Easthampton