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Konover has proposed building a 600,000 square foot retail center in the heart of our industrially zoned land on the Route 262/Echo Lake Road Corridor. Industry is the greatest generator of net tax dollars, and retail is the worst. Why would we want to swap our valuable industrial land for retail, the booby prize of land use? The Planning and Zoning Commission is the gatekeeper of land use. They should keep the gates closed against this Trojan Horse.
A current approach used by retail developers to convince people to take their “gift” is to sneak in the back door by meeting with select individuals to gain support for their retail concept. The march of the Trojan Horse in Watertown started as early as November, 2005 with private meetings with Planning and Zoning members, some Town Council members, Economic Development Commission members, representatives of WOTA, and State Representatives. On March 6, Konover formally presented the Trojan Horse to the Town Council.
Consider the following:
Impact on Current Retail Business
We currently have approximately 250,000 square feet of retail space in Watertown. What would be the impact on these businesses if we add 600,000 square feet of retail space? How many local residents owning small retail businesses would be forced to close their doors? What buildings would become vacant? How many taxpayers would we lose? What would be the reduction in tax dollars from these losses? For example, when the 65,000 square foot Stop and Shop was proposed, the studies indicated that the 20,000 square foot Pat’s Supermarket would close, and that is exactly what happened.
Impact on Industry
It is industry that makes our low mill rate possible. At one time, we were naïve enough to believe that retail space could co-exist with industry. We mixed these two land uses in the Straits Turnpike area. What we learned was that the uses don’t mix. It was a disaster because the industrial growth stopped. The rest of the industrial land in that area was rezoned. This is not unique to Watertown. So if we put a huge retail development on the Route 262/Echo Lake Road Corridor, how many of our current industries would leave? What impact would that have on our tax rolls and jobs? Why would we want to turn Echo Lake Road into Lakewood Road West?
Is the Announced Death of Industry Premature?
You bet. The Baillie Company is planning to put up a 101,000 square foot food distribution facility behind the Watertown Drive In. Watertown Plastics and Stately Stairs Company recently purchased parcels on Echo Lake Road. Porter and Chester is looking to expand. Watertown is expected to receive a $500,000 grant to extend the water lines into the industrial park area. As some industries leave, others take their place, just as new retailers come as others leave. Industry is doing well in communities, like Watertown, where there is good highway access and a low mill rate. The Naugatuck Industrial Park is expanding. Oxford just received a $500,000 grant to expand their Industrial Park. Plymouth is expanding their Industrial Park. Industry is expanding in Torrington. The current Central Naugatuck Valley Regional Plan of Conservation & Development identifies precision manufacturing as a regional economic focus.
Quality Development
The current industrial land use regulations permit such things as manufacturing, offices, research and development facilities, printing facilities, radio and television broadcast facilities, trucking or courier services, wholesale or distributions facilities, document or electronic data storage facilities, private vocational schools, health or fitness clubs, racquetball clubs, child daycare centers, hotels and motels, and restaurants. This is a much more diverse use than pure manufacturing. These uses can be expanded within this zone at any time, if appropriate.
Shifting, Not Creating Wealth
Industry creates wealth. It produces things that people buy. Retail development shifts shoppers from one location to another. No wealth is created. Remember what the Naugatuck Valley Mall did to downtown Waterbury. Retail businesses are only added when there is significant population growth to support it. Watertown’s population has been relatively flat. The population in Watertown was 18,610 in 1970, and has grown by 3,051 residents in the last 30 years, which is only an increase of ½ of 1% per year.
Increased Traffic
According to the Institute of Traffic Engineers, a 200,000 square foot Big Box store generates 11,000 daily trips by shoppers. A 600,000 square foot retail complex would generate 33,000 trips per day. That would be the equivalent of every man, woman, and child in Watertown driving separately to the new retail center 1.3 times per day. Who will really be driving there? Draw a circle around the location on the map and see. The Waterbury Colonial Avenue shoppers will drive down Shaws Hill (Sunnyside Ave), turn right on Franklin Ave, or Falls Ave and drive by the Senior Center to shop. Bunker Hill shoppers will go up Falls Avenue or take Oakville Ave to Davis Street to Buckingham Street to Route 262. Other shoppers will come from Morris, Litchfield, Bantam, Woodbury, Bethlehem, Thomaston, Plymouth, etc. Think about the traffic at the John Trumbull School intersection. Who will pay for the road reconstruction required to widen the impacted streets?
Impact on Jobs
Retail jobs are mostly part-time, minimum wage jobs. Healthcare insurance is generally not provided. Many retail employees receive some type of public assistance. By contrast, industrial jobs pay a living wage with benefits.
Increased Crime and Pressure on Emergency Services
Have you ever heard of a police lockdown at an industrial site? Not likely. Well, they recently had one at the Waterbury Mall. Criminals go where there are people that can be victimized. Sprawl-Busters, a national authority on the impact of retail development on communities, reports that the average 200,000 square foot Wal-Mart generates 269 police incidents per year. How many police would we have to add to respond to an additional 800 police incidents per year for a 600,000 square foot retail center? Would the increased emergency and fire calls generated by the big box store push us into a paid fire department?
Increased Response Time
If our streets are clogged with traffic, response time for police, fire and ambulance will be greater as these vehicles try to negotiate the increased traffic. This can be a life and death issue for an individual with a heart attack or stroke.
National Opposition to Big Box
If Big Box is so wonderful, why have so many other Towns across the country locked their doors against the Trojan Horse? Simsbury citizens are fighting against Konover’s big box proposal in their Town. According to NewRules.org, this type of opposition is occurring in towns across the country, from Maine to California.
Quality of Life
Watertown has a small town, rural character. We have a great location, a low tax rate, and a sound educational system. We have convenient shopping from local merchants who are our friends and neighbors, and we are close to regional shopping in Waterbury.
Plan of Conservation & Development
Watertown’s Plan is a guide that the Town uses as a roadmap of how and where we want our Town to grow. We use it as we make our important land use decisions. The update of our Plan started with circle groups made up of representatives of the community that met in 2004 and gave input into the Plan. Concurrently, the Planning and Zoning board hired a consultant to aid them in developing the Plan. Contrary to all prior work and input, in October, 2005 the draft inexplicably changed the zone on the proposed big box site from industrial to retail. In December 2005, after huge public opposition, the Zoning Board agreed to leave it zoned as industrial until impact studies were done. Now, the Zoning Board has changed the plan to retail without the impact studies. Why would we want to make such an important change without understanding what it means to our community?
Since retail development on the Route 262/Echo Lake Road Corridor is such a bad idea, why would the Planning and Zoning Commission be in favor of it? Industry puts little or no demands upon our infrastructure. The tax dollars they pay directly benefit the Town. Retail places significant demands upon the Town. The tax dollars they pay go right out the door to pay for the increases in expenses they cause.
The Planning and Zoning Commission should keep the gates closed against this Trojan Horse.