Clarence Developer says land sale offer open until next week

An offer for Clarence to buy about 22 acres of forest and meadow parkland along Tonawanda Creek for $50,000 will be open until next Wednesday night, the developer said Tuesday.
Developer Frank Parlato set the deadline to coincide with the next meeting of the Clarence Town Board.
Parlato again on Tuesday asked the board to put the matter to rest by voting publicly on whether to acquire the land at the north end of Goodrich Road for a future creekside forest preserve and park.
A deadline was set Tuesday for Clarence to accept the offer to buy the forest and meadow parkland, along Tonawanda Creek at the north end of Goodrich Road, for $50,000.
On Aug. 19, the board rejected Parlato's offer, 3-2, in an informal vote at a work session. One member was absent at the board's regular business meeting last Wednesday night when Parlato's request for an official vote was initially rejected.
Parlato on Tuesday said the issue has triggered "a lot of public interest" and that Clarence residents have a right to know where each board member stands and why.
In a statement Tuesday, Parlato said that regardless of whether Clarence buys the land, "I will . . . preserve the forested region by deed restriction."
If the town does not buy the land and he sells three or four building lots on the upland meadow portion of the property, Parla until next week to said, "if I can find a way to give public access through private development, I will do so."
Referring to remarks by officials that Parlato does not own the only land suitable for a park along Tonawanda Creek, he said:
"If the town acquires any site with waterfront access on the Tonawanda Creek, then I will know that my efforts to make this issue public helped.
(Waterfront access) is something vital to the town's future, which I believe should be (assured) at once."