Planned Parenthood of Central and WNY files lawsuit against Town of Henrietta

HENRIETTA, N.Y. Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York has filed a lawsuit against the town of Henrietta. This comes after the town board shot down a special use permit application in June for a new planned parenthood clinic.

Henrietta town supervisor Steve Schultz, voted in favor of the application. President of planned parenthood for Central and Western New York, Michelle Casey says, she feels, push back from the community on the clinic, heavily weighed in on the town board’s decision to reject the permit, rather than a land use decision.

Casey says, the proposed clinic had all the right criteria to move into a plaza on Jefferson road. She questioned the basis on why the permit application was rejected.

“Parking and ambulances and things that did not apply , people from outside Henrietta who came to protest us being there but really this should have been based on a land use decision,” Casey said.

The executive director told the board it would offer procedures considered non-surgical by the state and for pregnancies up to 13. 6 weeks.  The board voted 3 to 2 against the permit in June. The lawsuit was filed by Casey in July. The lawsuit requests a judge to intervene.

“We’ve asked the court to hear our case as soon as possible because we can’t see all the patients we would like to see in our smaller Brighton location than we would see in a bigger Henrietta location.”

I asked Henrietta town supervisor Steve Schultz for a comment on the lawsuit, he sent a statement saying, “The lawsuit is seeking to annul the original ruling, remand the decision back to the town board, instruct the town board to approve the special use permit, and for the town to pay the expenses of the proceedings.”

Schultz did say, he agreed the application met all the criteria needed to pass a special use permit. He says he believes if it was any other medical facility it would have passed without an issue. Casey says a court date hasn’t been scheduled, it’s still under negotiation.