We, the undersigned residents, are writing to express our collective opposition to the addition of a gated employee entrance to Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital on Bassett Road. Our signatures below represent our commitment to this cause and our shared belief in the importance of denying this proposal for the benefit of the community.

The Traffic Impact Study (TIS) contains empirical gaps regarding pedestrian safety and fails to meet the safety standards it acknowledges are already at capacity. It fails to address the overall negative effects on the larger community including: increased traffic, safety concerns, and loss of residential character/home values.

Study Flaws

1. The study makes the unlikely assumption that the 175 hospital employees were already using Bassett Rd to access existing parking at St. Gregory Church
   1. This would be a less convenient route - through a 20mph school zone - while St. Gregory Church has multiple entrances on/adjacent to thoroughfare Maple Rd
   2. St. Gregory School has traffic lined down St. Gregory Ct and Bassett Rd each morning and afternoon for parent/bus dropoff/pickup
   3. The study assumes that since no employees are being added, there will be no additional traffic which completely discounts the realistic traffic patterns and delay from a badged gate further described below
2. The TIS claims "no crashes were reported" between 2022 and 2025. This does not reflect the experience of the residents who have witnessed the results of multiple accidents at or near the Hopkins/Bassett intersection in the past year alone
3. The study also ignores serious incidents on Bassett Rd, including:
   
   1. Vehicles veering off the road hitting mailboxes, trees, and rear-ending parked cars
   2. A high-speed rollover accident where a vehicle flipped upside down
   3. Frequent speeding and failure to stop at the Bassett/Kings Trail stop sign near the proposed entrance
4. The study uses standard 6-9am/4-7pm commuter peaks, ignoring that hospital shift changes often occur earlier or later
   
   1. By using a single "snapshot" Tuesday in November, the study likely misses the actual peak demand of the 175 employees
   2. The study is only representative of weekday traffic, and doesn’t even attempt to look at weekend traffic which is when hospitals and emergency rooms are often the busiest
5. The study also disregards that Bassett Rd has been used as an official NYS Road Test site (and has official signs posted)
6. The study explicitly states that a Southbound Left-Turn Lane is warranted at the Hopkins Road/Bassett Road intersection under both existing and 2027 Build conditions
   
   1. The applicant’s recommendation to provide "no modifications" despite already meeting the AASHTO and NCHRP safety warrants is unacceptable
7. The study only attempted to analyze the intersection of Bassett Rd/Hopkins without considering the impact to the all-way stop intersection of Bassett Rd/Kings Trail near the proposed gate, the intersection of St Gregory Ct/Maple Rd, or any of the intersections to Klein Rd and the larger connected neighborhood

Disruption of Exclusive Sidewalk

The proposed entrance directly disrupts the only sidewalk that runs the length of Bassett Rd:

1. This sidewalk is a vital lifeline for pedestrians and cyclists, including:
   
   1. Elementary students walking to St. Gregory and Maple East elementary schools
   2. Caregivers, family, and residents from multiple nursing homes and the hospital who rely on ADA compliant walkways
   3. Large community of dog walkers
   4. Interscholastic athletes
2. The study fails to analyze how a high-volume institutional entrance - secured by a gate that may cause vehicle queuing - will impact the safety of children, pedestrians, and cyclists crossing this new "cut" in their only protected path
3. A gated, credentialed entry often causes drivers to focus on their badges or the gate arm rather than the sidewalk path, creating a high-conflict zone for students and other pedestrians

Other Safety Hazards

1. Additional traffic congestion at the entrance will cause bi-directional bottlenecks on Bassett Rd interfering with existing resident, school, business, and bus traffic, additionally creating noise and pollution
2. We are concerned that vehicles exiting may not require authorization, or that bottlenecks may lead to open entry/exit, which could lead to more traffic than expected
   
   1. Additionally concerned about scenarios where an unauthorized employee or patient vehicle tries to exit via the gate and there isn’t room for recourse
3. This proposal will also connect Klein Rd (via Eastwick and Chestnut Hill Ln S) as an additional cut through to the new entrance creating extra traffic in the larger neighborhood
4. Due to high population of children in the area, buses are a constant and make consistent stops (preschool, grade school, middle school and high school)
   
   1. Existing consistent congestion with cars waiting for buses and aggressive drivers trying to get to/from work down Bassett Rd already causes safety concerns for kids, before adding more vehicles

Residential Character

1. An additional entrance to a large business disrupts the residential nature of the neighborhood, and studies show additional traffic reduces property values
2. No feedback from residents was requested in good faith on the real impact that the new entrance would have
3. Additional traffic will negatively impact the greenfield Bassett Park area, used for recreation and community events (school training, concerts, YMCA wellness events, farmers market, etc.)

We respectfully request that the Planning Board deny the current proposal and not compound the effect of traffic on our neighborhood integrity, safety, and property values we have dedicated our lives to cultivating and depending on.

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Additional Information:

Proposal name: 1540 & 1542 Maple Road Request for relief of conditions of Major Site Plan for a proposed Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital - Employee Vehicular Entrance, SP-1978-15_Q

Agenda for Amherst Town meeting on 3/19/26 - https://amherstny.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=14&ID=3529&Inline=True

Links for proposal: https://www.amherst.ny.us/content/development_projects_pending.php

Traffic Impact Study (TIS) - https://www.amherst.ny.us/pdf/planning/dev_proj_pending/sp/SP-1978-15_Q-report-3a3enkhmzb.pdf

Plan Set - https://www.amherst.ny.us/pdf/planning/dev_proj_pending/sp/SP-1978-15_Q-draw-gq0t51ibkt.pdf