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New Hartford Is an Oasis
By David Jones, New Hartford
Following is the text of the statement I read at the New Hartford Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on October 8, in opposition to the approval of a zoning variance along Route 44 and Route 202:
Most of us who live in New Hartford do so because we like it here. New Hartford is an oasis. Drive west to Torrington or east to Canton and Avon and you will immediately see the difference made by the lower population density and the lack of unplanned commercial development here in New Hartford. New Hartford residents are willing to drive a little farther to work than our neighbors in Avon, Canton or Torrington. We choose to live here because we enjoy the quiet rural setting, the scenic roads and vistas. If we wanted to live in a town like Avon, Canton or Torrington, we would.
The proposed zoning changes would alter the very things we value most about living here in New Hartford. Commercial development along our scenic Routes 202 and 44 would mean losing forever a part of what makes New Hartford special. We would disgrace the corridor to town, our very front door, with things like Target stores, fast food restaurants and convenience stores. I do not distinguish between the "big box" stores over 150,000 square feet and a series of smaller strip malls along these beautiful roads. Both are cancers, which will continue to spread and slowly poison the entire town.
Those who support these zoning changes cite financial pressures, which are unquestionable real. Currently residents consume more in the cost of services than they pay in taxes. This fact is not in dispute.
I believe encouraging commercial development on Routes 202 and 44 would be selling out. It is the easy answer. It is a quick fix. It is extremely shortsighted. It trades the beauty of our town for some additional tax dollars. It addresses the symptoms and not the cause. Residential development is the cause of our fiscal woes. Unplanned commercial development only buys us some time, but it is not the answer.
A few years ago Home Depot provided a boost to our tax revenues. Today we seek a Target store to help balance our budget. Two years from now, with more people having moved to town, we will need yet another Target to help pay for it all. Without planning, year after year, more and more residential development will justify more and more commercial development. Commercial development will continue to destroy the very reasons we all live here to begin with. New Hartford will become impossible to distinguish from Avon, Canton and Torrington.
Instead of a quick fix we need a long-term plan. That plan should include both ways to increase revenue and limit residential growth. Because New Hartford is relatively undeveloped we have a unique opportunity to avoid the mistakes of our neighboring towns.
Rather than exploiting our most scenic roads with retail development, increased revenue can come from carefully planned business and office parks. Business parks can be located out of sight from the road, blended with the landscape and community. This is never possible with large-scale retail stores. When was the last time you saw a Target store tucked off in the woods?
I would propose that we strengthen our current zoning landscape requirements for such business and office parks, to be sure they do not spoil the character of our town. Most of New Hartford is wooded. I would propose that we require a 1,000-foot buffer zone of untouched land to be left between any new business parks and our town’s roads.
Our current zoning does not allow professional buildings in residential neighborhoods. I would propose that we not only allow it, but in fact require all future developments of over 15 houses to include some type of professional space within that development. The business space would help pay for the additional financial burden the new houses would create on the town of New Hartford. It would provide jobs—real jobs, not Target checkout clerk jobs. Acting in their own best interest, the developers would work to insure that these professional spaces were constructed in a way that would not detract from the value of the new houses they were building.
Regarding existing commercial space, we currently have in New Hartford empty or underutilized commercial space. We need to make efforts to encourage these spaces to be used to their capacity.
Farms, like businesses, pay more in taxes than they consume in services. We need to do everything possible to keep our current farms viable and to encourage new ones. There is an exciting new trend of small organic farms growing a variety of produce to be sold locally. A nationwide network of these farms called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) helps make it possible for these small farms to be viable. These farms exist in surrounding towns, but not in New Hartford.
Designated open spaces are the heroes of our tax base. They consume almost nothing in services, and promise never to be developed in the future. With positive revenue generation and no risk for future development, open space should be one of our top goals. New Hartford has taken the first steps toward creating open space. A comprehensive plan has been developed and an open space committee has been formed. However, we have not yet begun to realistically fund this committee. Our current budget allows only $10,000—which does not buy much in terms of land or development rights. If we took open space seriously enough to increase that amount, we would also qualify for matching state grants. Towns all around us have recognized the financial benefits of creating designated open space. New Hartford is falling behind in not doing the same. Dollars spent today on open space will reap huge financial benefits into the future, forever more.
Not all residential development consumes more in town services than it pays for in taxes. Suburban development targeted at families with school-aged children is the portion of residential development which consumes more than it contributes. Residential housing targeted at people over the age of 50 would be a financial asset rather than a liability to the town. High-end or more expensive houses can often generate more in taxes than they require in services. If we resist the temptation to sell out to commercial development and work to maintain the town’s rural character, New Hartford will be more attractive to residents who pay more in taxes than they consume in services.
All these things together can help form a long-term plan for the future of New Hartford. We have a wealth of concerned residents who would be willing to commit time to help make this plan a reality. I call on our town officials to take the lead in coordinating such efforts. The best answer is rarely the easy answer. Working together now, we can leave a legacy we can all be proud of!
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