Traffic safety concerns proved decisive Wednesday night as the Clay Town Board voted unanimously to block a proposed McDonald’s restaurant in the Wegmans Plaza. The Board voted 6-0 to deny both a zone change and a special permit for the drive-thru, effectively halting the project. The decision followed months of review and public hearings regarding the proposal to build the restaurant on a 1.26-acre parcel at the intersection of West Taft Road and Cedar Post Road. While the county planning department had previously raised concerns about the development, the deciding factor for the Town Board appeared to be a third-party traffic analysis commissioned by the town. The Board determined that if built as planned, the restaurant would significantly worsen traffic conditions inside the plaza and degrade the level of service at nearby intersections to an “F” rating. According to the findings adopted by the Board, the town’s consulting engineers at C&S Engineering identified specific safety risks. Their report highlighted that the intersection of West Taft Road and Cedar Post Road has already seen 10 crashes in the last three years, eight of which were dangerous right-angle collisions. The engineers concluded that the additional 128 vehicles expected during the midday peak would add dangerous conflicts to that intersection. "Under the build condition, the intersections of West Taft Road at Cedar Post Road and West Taft Road at Bear Road experience a decrease in level of service... due to the increase in traffic generated from McDonald's," the Board findings stated. The Board also noted that the Wegmans Plaza intersection with Wintersweet Drive lacks sufficient queuing space for current traffic levels, a problem a "high turnover restaurant" would exacerbate. Residents had previously raised a host of concerns about the project, including noise, odors, litter, and "un-mitigatable" impacts on neighboring single-family homes. However, the Board’s official denial was based primarily on the evidence of specific harm related to traffic circulation and safety. The motion to deny the special permit was made by Councilor Deborah Magaro-Dolan and seconded by Councilor David Capria. In other business, the Board welcomed Brian Bender as the new Commissioner of Planning and Development. Supervisor Damian Ulatowski also provided updates on ongoing quality-of-life issues. He noted that no representatives from a neighborhood concerned about speeding were present, but stated he is working toward a solution regarding requests for stop signs on Richardson and Northfield roads. He also mentioned he is working with the owner of Sharkey's regarding a noise complaint brought by residents at a previous meeting. The Board approved the renewal of a five-year cable television franchise agreement with Verizon New York Inc. Additionally, the Board granted a special permit for property located at 5180 Orangeport Road. The permit allows for a two-family dwelling on approximately 0.64 acres in the Residential Agricultural district. The motion was made by Councilor Joseph Bick. The meeting was adjourned following the executive session.