It’s Not Too Late for New Hartford

Following are some comments regarding remarks made by others during the New Hartford Planning and Zoning Commission’s meeting on October 8, during which the proposed zoning variance for commercial development along Route 44 and Route 202 was discussed.

Will Big Boxes Mean Lower Taxes?

I came to the previous meeting on the proposed zoning changes fully aware that New Hartford needs to explore ways to generate new tax revenue. I believed that the resulting commercial development to our beautiful town would at least provide more tax revenue. I understood it would be a trade-off many citizens might consider.

I listened to a speaker from Canton cite multiple studies from impressive sources, showing how "big box" retail does not provide the tax revenue boost our town leaders have been calling for. She also cited specific examples of net tax revenue from big box stores in nearby towns, and contrasted that with other sources such as medical buildings, business parks and retirement homes. It became obvious we were on the wrong path even if we did not care about preserving the rural character of our town.

Many in town were prepared to trade our scenic corridors for lower property taxes. After hearing the statistics it is obvious that retail development is not the easy answer some of our town leaders believe it is. We would exploit our town’s resources without receiving any substantial increases in tax revenue. I don’t believe our town leaders can possibly support the proposed zoning changes if they understand these statistics.

Good Design

Zoning board member Mr. Misiorsky tells us he will work to ensure good design in the newly proposed commercial zones. Many citizens spoke of design criteria they would consider to be less offensive than what otherwise might develop. I applaud their efforts. Good design is certainly better than bad design. However, I believe good design is subjective and cannot be legislated. What some consider good design today will be out of fashion by the end of the decade, but the big box stores will still be with us. It is difficult to have a consensus among a small group about what toppings to put on a pizza, to say nothing of what constitutes "good design" to an entire town.

And while good design is better than bad, good design is not the answer because design is not the question. The question is whether we will work to preserve what we have or whether we will simply give up. Almost every person at the meeting spoke of the need to preserve the rural character and unspoiled nature of New Hartford. One speaker told of a Home Depot with arched windows and green awnings. These may be preferable to the orange awnings we see in the New Hartford Home Depot currently, but they do not constitute the rural character we all seek to preserve! No commercial development, no matter how well designed, would be mistaken for unspoiled rural landscape.

Landscape Regulations

Many spoke of the current landscape regulations as a way to soften the effect of big box stores on the scenic character of the town. While helpful, the final effect of the regulations is frequently less than what was intended when they were written. A requirement for evergreen trees or shrubs of a certain height as a visual buffer sounds good. In reality these trees have a tendency to be smaller and spaced more sparsely than what we would hope. Trees that meet the regulations may perhaps be planted in a ditch so as to minimize the screening effect they have. A retailer might use tactics like this to meet the landscape regulations and at the same time maximize his property’s exposure to the street, thereby defeating the intent of the regulation. Finally, I would point out that landscape regulations are completely unenforceable once the building is finished. The regulations require that the trees be planted, but not that the trees live. Trees can die or be cut down after the building is occupied.

Change Is Inevitable

Several citizens spoke of change to our town as being inevitable. I couldn’t agree more. Change will come. We have a unique opportunity here in New Hartford to control that change and to shape our town’s future. We can control the change. Our neighboring towns will never rid themselves of the commercial development we all fear is coming to our town. They will never be able to reclaim their rural character. However, it is not to late for New Hartford! We can control the change to our town now. We need work to hard and develop a plan instead of rushing to make our town look like surrounding towns in the name of a few more tax dollars!