May 5, 2011
Greenfield Planning Board votes 4 to 1 in favor of granting a Special Permit for a unknown Big Box store of the French King Highway.
While we have always supported a discount department store, we remain concerned that the proposed size of this project is too large. We are also concerned that the developer refuses to reveal the proposed tenant or provide any assurance that we will get a much needed discount department store.
In their initial application, the developer stated clearly that there would be no grocery component. However, the developer has stated that a grocery component has been included in their analysis of this project and will not exclude grocery as an option for the store. We remain concerned that an additional grocery store at this location is an extraneous option and would threaten the economic well-being of nearby grocery stores that provide critical services to the neighborhoods in which they are located, including many pedestrian-only customers who would be harmed by the loss of these stores.
We requested a Community Impact Assessment and a Traffic Simulation Model (TSM) to aid the Planning Board in their assessment of the positive and negative impacts of this project. The Planning Board Chair refused to consider the request for the Community Impact Assessment. We submitted our request for a TSM on February 15 and were notified on February 24 that our request had "slipped through the cracks" and had not been distributed to the Planning Board members or discussed by the board.
In the absence of any detailed analysis regarding the long-term negative impacts of this project on our town, we consistantly advocated for a smaller store. Wenheard a reasonable suggestion from Precinct 5 Town Councilor, David Singer, for an 80,000 sq. ft. store, with an option to expand later if the impacts are manageable.
The Planning Board was not willing to consider a smaller store.
You can watch the January 20, February 17 and 22, March 17, April 7, and May 6 Planning Board meetings on the GCTV website. Search for "Planning Board" and select chapters to view portions of the meeting. Of particular interest is the January 20 meeting with the developer's presentation of the design of the building, the traffic Peer Reviewer's comments on the negative impacts, the thoughtful and informed comments from the public, and the closing comments by the Planning Board Chair regarding the Public Hearing process.
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OUR MISSION
To provide information to the residents of Greenfield about the benefits of a sustainable approach to economic development.
ABOUT US
The Greenfield Coalition for a Sustainable Future is a group of Greenfield residents who are interested in supporting growth that is sustainable and beneficial for Greenfield.
While we support the idea of a broad range of retail options in Greenfield, including a discount department store, and we believe competition among local businesses is healthy, we remain concerned that a large scale Big Box store located on the outskirts of town, with acres of free parking, could unfairly compete with our independently owned small businesses that are the heart and soul of our town.
WHAT WE KNOW
In October 2007, Greenfield Investors Property Development LLC , of Fairfield, CT, submitted a Notice of Intent (NOI) to build a 160,000 square foot Big Box retail store on the French King Highway. The NOI was approved, with conditions. That approval was appealed by the abutters to the property, but the appeal was withdrawn when the developer agreed to change the location of the store to avoid a sensitive wetland.
According to our Zoning regulations, this type of project is allowed," by right" if it is 40,000 sq/ft or smaller. But the size of the project (over 40,000 sq/ft) and the fact that it is expected to generate more than 1000 vehicle trips per day, requires a Major Development Review (MDR) before it can be granted a Special Permit. The purpose of the MDR is "to identify and attempt to mitigate potential negative impacts to the City of Greenfield, such as to Town services, traffic patterns, the environment, abutting properties, or the public health and safety, caused directly or indirectly by major development."
The developer submitted the necessary documents for the MDR on July 30, 2010. The new plan is for a 135,000 square foot store.
CURRENT EVENTS
The Planning Board opened the Public Hearing on September 2 and continued it on October 7 and 21, and again on November 10 and 18, December 2 and 16, and January 6 and 20. The Public Hearing scheduled for February 3 was cancelled. The February 17 meeting was the final Public Hearing. After the Public Hearing closed, the Planning Board began deliberations on the permit for a short time and then adjourned the meeting. The Planning Board continued deliberations at the February 22, March 17, and April 7 meetings. On May 5, 2011, the Planning Board voted 4 to 1 to grant a Speciall Permit for this project.
The developer has presented their Fiscal Impact Statement and their Traffic Impact and Access Report to the Planning Board. There are still many unanswered questions regarding these documents.
We believe that with so many unanswered questions regarding this application, a Community Impact Assessment and a Traffic Simulation Model would be useful tools for the Planning Board to use to protect the interests of the residents and taxpayers of Greenfield.
We have posted some of the documents from the application on our Resources page. You can read the impact statements to learn more about this project. You can also read the Beta Group Peer Review of the Traffic Impact Report, as well as the VHB response to the Peer Review.. We have also posted the Fiscal Impact Peer review. Please take some time to read these documents.
OUR CONCERNS
We are are concerned about the 11,160 additional vehicle trips a day on Saturdays and the 8.250 additional vehicle trips per day on weekdays that are projected to travel on High Street and through our residential neighborhoods, including the area that is home to our Police and Fire Departments, as well as our hospital and ambulance service, making access to these neighborhoods and important safety services more challenging.
A project of this magnitude will increase the demand for our municipal services and could end up increasing the burden on existing taxpayers.
The addition of such a large project in our “Corridor Overlay District” violates the intent of the ordinance that was created to protect this important entryway into Greenfield.
Greenfield is surrounded by rivers and streams, and the wetlands on this property feed into a vital watershed and then into the Connecticut River.
The town has recently proposed converting all of the free parking in the downtown area into paid parking. We are concerned that a large scale “Big Box” store, with acres of free parking, will have an unfair advantage over our downtown businesses, as well as the many other locally-owned businesses in our area.
The pollution and noise, the strain on our limited municipal services, and damage to this environmentally sensitive area, are all unknown impacts, underscoring the need for additional data that can be obtained through a Community Impact Assessment.
We believe that a significantly smaller store could compliment our existing businesses, and meet the needs of the community, without negatively impacting our town.
