The Community Affairs Council and the Board of Directors of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce recently voted unanimously to oppose the creation of an Erie County Planning Board, as presented by the County Legislature.  The creation of a Planning Board which has no governance capabilities, as dictated by New York State law, does nothing but increase the costs of economic development projects and lengthen the time frame for completing projects.  The leadership in Buffalo Niagara should be supportive of any efforts to invest in our region, not dedicate taxpayer dollars to creating new and costly bureaucratic layers.  The existing Erie County Department of Environment and Planning can create a forum that will provide opportunity for economic development officials and professional planners to discuss redevelopment and smart growth regional issues and develops collaborative ideas for moving these issues forward.