Twenty-six percent of the taxable assessment in Chautauqua County comes from the land surrounding Chautauqua Lake.

That statistic has been used often over the past few years when discussing the importance of doing everything possible to make Chautauqua Lake as healthy as it can be. We trust everyone in position to make any decisions on the county’s well being know full well the importance of making sure Chautauqua Lake is healthy. That trust will face a test as two lakefront development projects are discussed.

Plans are under discussion for a five-story hotel project on 180 feet of land in Mayville on the current site of 3 Seas Recreation owned by James Webb. The Mayville Zoning Board of Appeals plans to make a decision on a height variance for the hotel at its Oct. 20 meeting, with approvals still needed for Chautauqua County Planning Board. County Executive Vince Horrigan and Kevin Sanvidge, county IDA director, say there have been discussions for a hotel in Celoron. While those plans haven’t been reviewed, the issues are much the same as they are in the Webb’s project.

Mayville residents have concerns about the height of the Webb’s building, noise, traffic, safety, sewers, environmental concerns and the impact on Chautauqua Lake. Many Mayville residents have concerns about how the proposed hotel will limit their view of the lake. Responses to all of those concerns will be included in the State Environmental Quality Review, a document that should receive a thorough review by the appropriate village officials and the Chautauqua County Planning Board. We are encouraged to see that the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy has already engaged Webb regarding the Mayville project in light of its concerns of over-developing the watershed and the damage that can be done to the watershed during the construction process. The Webb family has told John Jablonski, Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy executive director, that stormwater pollution controls are part of the project.

Chautauqua County needs to add to its tax rolls, and tourism is obviously one way to accomplish that goal.

We urge the officials involved in these discussions to be mindful of killing the goose that lays the golden tax base egg. Development that hurts the lake does no one any good.