David
12-24-2007, 12:01 PM
Why wait in Cheshire?
Editor:
If the proposed lifestyle center is built in Cheshire’s Interchange Zone, will our town be “forever changed”?
Yes, for the better! A rundown, overgrown lot will be transformed into a thriving park and retail center where people can shop, dine, walk, and enjoy the outdoors. Cheshire will benefit from increased tax revenue, and remnants of the Farmington Canal will be renovated and protected. Wildlife and wetlands in the area will peacefully coexist with humans in a beautiful, preserved setting.
Friends and neighbors believe this development would be an asset to Cheshire, and they do not want another industrial use in the north end of town. Most residents, however, do not feel the need to write letters or come to hearings to declare their support, and I fear that a deafening roar of negativity has obstructed the quiet voices of folks like me who are wholeheartedly in favor of this development.
The privately owned land in the Interchange Zone will be developed; the property owner is not planning to donate the land for open space. What, then, would the opposition consider to be a prudent development in this area: a trucking company, more unused office space, another manufacturing facility?
Unfortunately, while we wait 10 or 20 years for the next proposal, wetlands and historical sites around the Ten Mile River will remain at the mercy of both the elements and trespassers in recreational vehicles.
If our town rejects the Shoppes at Cheshire, we will not prevent further increases in population and traffic, nor will we avoid future expansion of the police and fire departments and other town services. We will, however, miss an opportunity not only to improve the north end of town but to increase tax revenue. What are we waiting for?
YVONNE D. PETRIN, CHESHIRE
Editor:
If the proposed lifestyle center is built in Cheshire’s Interchange Zone, will our town be “forever changed”?
Yes, for the better! A rundown, overgrown lot will be transformed into a thriving park and retail center where people can shop, dine, walk, and enjoy the outdoors. Cheshire will benefit from increased tax revenue, and remnants of the Farmington Canal will be renovated and protected. Wildlife and wetlands in the area will peacefully coexist with humans in a beautiful, preserved setting.
Friends and neighbors believe this development would be an asset to Cheshire, and they do not want another industrial use in the north end of town. Most residents, however, do not feel the need to write letters or come to hearings to declare their support, and I fear that a deafening roar of negativity has obstructed the quiet voices of folks like me who are wholeheartedly in favor of this development.
The privately owned land in the Interchange Zone will be developed; the property owner is not planning to donate the land for open space. What, then, would the opposition consider to be a prudent development in this area: a trucking company, more unused office space, another manufacturing facility?
Unfortunately, while we wait 10 or 20 years for the next proposal, wetlands and historical sites around the Ten Mile River will remain at the mercy of both the elements and trespassers in recreational vehicles.
If our town rejects the Shoppes at Cheshire, we will not prevent further increases in population and traffic, nor will we avoid future expansion of the police and fire departments and other town services. We will, however, miss an opportunity not only to improve the north end of town but to increase tax revenue. What are we waiting for?
YVONNE D. PETRIN, CHESHIRE