We, the undersigned Westbard-Area residents and potential business customers of Westbard Self-Storage, do NOT like the current development plans for the storage facility -- "The Cruise Ship on the Banks of the Willett."

WE WILL NOT PATRONIZE Westbard Self-Storage unless and until the November 14, 2017 comments of the Little Falls Watershed Alliance are fully adopted and incorporated into the current plans (read the LFWA comments linked here); and until the Moses African Cemetery is properly delineated in the manner proposed by Macedonia Baptist Church.

These are our concerns:

1. The Building is too Big. The storage facility plans a building with a 70 foot wall on one side; and it delves 40 feet underground – every buildable inch is dedicated to this building. This towering building will not enhance or promote a naturalized Willett Greenway Park; rather, this proposed building is a concrete behemoth which will affect the success of the park.

2. The Access to the Park is too Narrow. The pathway to the Willett Greenway Park will be constricted to an 18-foot pathway – this is not conducive to an inviting gateway to our promised park.

3. Stormwater Management is Insufficient. LFWA’s letter explains why surface water must be infiltrated, rather than directed into stormwater drains. Please heed LFWA’s sound advice.

4. The Eventual Beautification and Memorialization of the Existing Cemetery Site is at Risk. Please consider the effect of this over-sized building on the historic Moses African Cemetery which lies both on your property (Parcel 177) and also directly across the Willett from the planned storage site (Parcel 175). The current plans will not enhance the reverence due the Moses African Cemetery. Further, the descendant community – not the county – should have full decision-making power over the archaeological team that conducts the investigation on their ancestors' remains.

We will not patronize Westbard Self-Storage in the future unless the plans are altered to incorporate LFWA’s reasonable concerns.

Our community has been under siege from planners and developers for the past three years. Let's work to get this Self-Storage Facility "right" for the community.

ANCHORS AWEIGH!

Signed, Westbard-Area Residents