Connecticut SMART GROWTH - Front Page

Getting Back On Track

commonweal — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:12:56 GMT

With gas prices soaring over $4.00 a gallon, people are desparately looking for alternative modes of transportation. In fact, use of mass transportation is increasing around the country.

Unfortunately, the oil loving Bush administration has completely ignored mass transportation, and, specifically, has drastically underfunded Amtrak and other rail services. Needless to say, if the United States is ever to wean itself from oil and embrace mass transportation, the time is now to begin urging the next administration to invest in rail infrastructure.

For some specifics, please read Richard Stowe's recent op/ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer, as well as a response to the op/ed by Allan William of West Hartford below the fold
As an avid supporter of both bicycling and rail, I wanted to weigh in on Richard Stowe's suggestion about Amtrak. I think there is a big picture issue here that is important. The only place in the nation that Amtrak has a good on-time record is where it owns the tracks. Turning the tracks over to others should only be done under dire conditions. The conditions could happen, but what I think is more likely is that after many years of the Bush Administration trying to eliminate Amtrak, there will be a new president and a new congress that are more likely to understand the importance of the development of a significantly improved and updated national rail system. And to support state rail initiatives as well.

Notice I said the Bush administration and not Republicans: One of the rare instances where Congressional Republicans have split with the
President is over Amtrak. For eight years a number of Republicans have sided with the Democrats to keep Amtrak afloat after the
President Zero-Budgeted Amtrak; yes Zero Dollars. Incidentally, the President also wanted to sell off the Northeast corridor tracks. The
President placed airline industry people in charge of the Amtrak Board. He had to remove some of his own appointments because, after a
short while, even they realized that Amtrak was actually doing an incredible job considering its resources, and that demand for rail service was much higher than they expected. FYI, John McCain was not one of the Republicans to join with the Democrats. He believes railroads should pay their own way, but does not apply that standard
to airlines or automobiles.

Unfortunately Amtrak has not been receptive to bike initiatives, but I really believe it is because they have been in such dire straits
over the past eight years. I do know that Amtrak's west coast managers have turned around completely, and have completed major bike
initiatives on all train service in its Capital Corridor. Amtrak operates the Capitol corridor for the State of California, and in FY 2007 they had 32 daily trains with about 6000 daily riders. Ridership is so high they have a statewide budget referendum to almost double
the system. All trains and all stations are bike friendly, and about 8-10% of daily San Jose commuters arrive by bicycle. The difference
between our trains and the Capitol Corridor trains is that California has put a lot of money in the system. It is easier to make new cars
and new stations bike friendly when there is cash to do it.

Amtrak's national budget for capital expenses was $300 million last year. That is less by half than the cost overrun for the new CT rail
maintenance facility. It is less than California's capital budget for rail last year. In fact $300 million was less than the rail related capital expenses of a bunch of states last year. Irony of ironies: half of the national Amtrak capitol budget is being spent in
Connecticut for the replacement of the Thames River Bridge in New London/Groton. That bridge replacement will occur starting this month. Amtrak is not going to provide a bus link between New London and Groton while the bridge is being replaced (about 1.5 months).
This will effectively sever the Boston-New York service, and will result in fewer trains from New Haven south as well.

My point is only that we should already be preparing our lobbying efforts aimed at the next federal administration, and not to sell the
tracks, but to pour the billions that are required into new capital equipment, new tracks, new stations, and new interconnectedness to
improve the national rail system for the dozens of reasons you probably all know to be true.

NATIONAL TRAIN DAY CELEBRATION

commonweal — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:55:36 GMT

Noting that sticker shock at the gas pump is matched by increasing
congestion on the roadways and in the air, and that polls, referenda,
and ridership data on train systems across the country all point to a
demand for more trains, the National Association of Railroad
Passengers (NARP) and its local affiliates are sponsoring events at
stations across the country that highlight the role of passenger
trains in a networked transportation system.

Rail*Trains*Ecology*Cycling, a grassroots, passenger rail advocacy
group, will be the sponsor of the only National Train Day event in Connecticut on Saturday, May 10, 2008 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at New Haven Union Station to commemorate the completion at Promontory Summit, Utah, of the first transcontinental railroad system on May 10, 1869. The event will celebrate that
anniversary and call on policymakers to renew their commitment to a national passenger train and commuter rail grid.

This gathering will be a speaker-driven event in which local and state
officials and grassroots leaders will impress the need for more
sensible investment in our train corridors, including the Northeast
Corridor and the New York, New Haven, Hartford, Springfield corridor
and stress the importance of integrating bicycles and trains, as a
strategic multi modal option.

Who:
Rail*Trains*Ecology*Cycling is hosting the National Train Day New
Haven in co-ordination with National Association of Rail Passengers.

Speakers include:
- State Representative Tom Kehoe, 31st Assembly District (Glastonbury);
- Michael Piscitelli, Director of Transportation, Traffic & Parking for the
City of New Haven;
- Mark Abraham, sustainability advocate associated with Elm City Cycling;
- Molly McKay, Transportation Chair, Connecticut Sierra Club

What:
Non-alcoholic drinks will be served

Where:
New Haven Union Station, 50 Union Street New Haven CT 06519, 2nd Floor
South Balcony - accessible by elevator (between station door entry
from pick-up, drop-off driveway and escalators to platforms.)

When:
Sat. May 10, 2008 4 to 5:30 p.m.

More Quick Hits

commonweal — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:09:32 GMT

1. GOOD NEWS FROM SHARE --

It's official! Konover Development no longer has the option to build River Oaks on the 60 acre CL&P property! This week the owner of the property told the SHARE Steering Committee that as of this past week he no longer has a contract with Konover Development and that he will now be taking direct responsibility for whatever gets built on his property and that he will only build something that both he and the town "can be proud of" (his words). He will not build a Big Box store on his property! Furthermore, he wants to work collaboratively with the town and the residents and he said that he supports the charrette initiative for his property stating that he will be an active participant in the planning process.

2. NEW DOT LEADER --

Connecticut is the third densest state in the country and 80 percent of its travel is by automobile, said Joseph Marie, the newly appointed Department of Transportation Commissioner. He said as commissioner, he will work to provide more attractive alternatives to the automobile. He will help commuters better predict transit travel times and provide more parking near transit. Marie will be the first transit expert to head the beleaguered agency. Marie was appointed by the Governor in April. His confirmation by the General Assembly is pending.
Marie has extensive public and private sector experience. He worked on the Central Phoenix/ East Valley Rail System, METRO TRANSIT in Minneapolis and for Bombardier and Siemens.

3. SMART GROWTH AND GLOBAL WARMING --

A new report by Environment Connecticut Clean Water Action of global warming trends in Connecticut and New England from 1990 to 2005 found that global warming emissions throughout New England increased by 10.9 percent. The study is the first of its kind to produce a thorough estimate of green house gas emissions.

In Connecticut, emissions from industrial and commercial sources declined 8.5 percent, but transportation emissions increased 20 percent between 1990 and 2005. Roads, parking lots and other impervious surfaces increased 22 percent in Connecticut between 1985 and 2002. On other words, there is a direct correlation between how and where we're developing and the amount of global warming gases we produce.

Quick Hits -- retail saturation

commonweal — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:49:26 GMT

Lots of bad news for Big Box stores:

1. Wal-Mart has cancelled the opening of 45 stores because it is "reeling from its own self-inflicted excesses," wrote the chain's leading critic, Al Norman, in The Huffington Post. "Sam Walton explained that his growth strategy was 'to saturate a market area by spreading out, then filling in ...We became our own competition.' He once boasted that Springfield, Missouri, for example, had 40 Wal-Marts within 100 miles," wrote Mr. Norman. In additional to the usual demographic benchmarks the chain considers when proposing new stores, it also considers "'potential impacts on neighboring Wal-Mart stores.' This last metric - the cannibalization factor - has had a major impact on the deep-sixing of many superstore projects this year," wrote Mr. Norman.

2. "Retailers' Struggles Mean Lean Times at the Mall" reported The Wall Street Journal. The Journal attributes the growing number of mall vacancies to slowing consumer spending and excessive retail development.

3. Local opposition and the struggling economy " have led big-box retailers to drop plans to build in numerous communities," reported Stacey Mitchell of The Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Home Depot and Wal-Mart withdrew proposals in Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina and more.

4. UPDATE Home Depot announced today that it will close 15 stores, the first time the world's largest home improvement store chain has ever closed a flagship store for performance reasons.

So, given all this gloomy economic news about big box stores, coupled with the fact that numerous studies have shown the negative economic impact big box stores have on communities, what does the town of Middlefield want to do? Attract and build big box stores. Another shining example of how our property tax structure encourages sprawl.

Open Space Preservation

commonweal — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:41:15 GMT

The Town of Canton recently voted to purchase 140 acres of land as open space. The purchase was unanimously approved by the town's Board of Selectman and Board of Finance despite the $509,000 the town would have to spend to acquire the land.

However, the decision was a no brainer once a cost benefit analysis was done by the town. The results of the cost benefit analysis supports the results of numerous other studies on the economic benefits of open space preservation, and dispels as myth the assertions of the Connecticut Partnership for Balanced Growth, a front group for developers, that residential construction has a positive economic impact for towns.

Click here to read my own views on how to control residential development. Also, to help you figure out the economic impact residential development will have on your town, here is the cost benefit analysis for the 140 acre purchase from Canton's Board of Finance:
Number of single family residences projected through appraisal: 20-25 (figure of 20 used for analysis

Number of children per household: 1.87

Fair Market Value of Single Family Home: $600,000 ($420,000 assessment)

Property Taxes per household (29.92 mil rate): $12,567

Board of Selectman/Board of Finance Costs per household: $3,152

Board of Education per household pupil cost (11,119 x 1.87): $20,793

Total projected Town cost per household: $23,945

Total projected property tax revenue per household: $12,567

Total projected loss per household: $11,378

Total town investment of open space acquisition: $509,000

Projected pay back period: 2.24 years

Simsbury Defeats Konover Proposal

commonweal — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:32:21 GMT

It's been a while since I last posted. I am currently involved in fighting a proposed Lowes in Canton. At the same time I am cobbling together a coalition to host a charrette for my hometown so I don't have to fight anymore boneheaded big box proposals. Needless to say, I have been busy.

Anyways, good news out of Simsbury: last night the town's zoning commission denied Konover's PDD proposal. Hopefully, town leaders will now embrace a charrette for the town so citizens can show Konover what a mixed use development really looks like.

Is Simsbury's decision another sign that towns are learning to play it Smart?

Legislative Update

commonweal — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:35:48 GMT

From 1000 Friends of CT:

Finally, property tax reform was on the minds and lips of legislators on both sides of the aisle this week. With an uncharacteristically dramatic flair, Finance Revenue and Bonding voted out of committee a bill that would fully fund payments to municipalities in lieu of taxes on state-owned property, private hospitals, private colleges, and other tax exempt properties. It would reduce property taxes by $60 million statewide.

The committee approved funding municipal reimbursements with unclaimed properties and a new tax on deliveries. Unfortunately, any hope of meaningful progress on property tax reform quickly fell victim to all-too-typical squabbling nonsense.

This being first and foremost an election year, Republican legislators (See the story at CT News Junkie) lit into big city mayors (most of whom are Democrats) charging mismanagement. They also accused Democrats in the General Assembly with seeking to increase the taxes on small business.

Clearly, the committee wasn't obsessively diligent about doing its homework on these revenue sources. It didn't provide reliable estimates for how much unclaimed property is available or what the new tax on deliveries would generate annually. In the interest of sound policy, let's be clear about a couple of things though.

Residents in every city and town in the state except Bethlehem, East Hampton, East Haven, Griswold, and Haddam would benefit if PILOT were fully funded. This is not a big city issue. This is not a partisan issue. It affects every person who owns property in 164 cities and towns in Connecticut.

Secondly, the property tax is Connecticut's businesses' biggest tax obligation. When we reduce our reliance on the property tax, we not only help Grand Ma, we also help the grocer, the dry cleaner, the hair salon, the printer, the insurer, the diaper service, the genetic researcher, the personal trainer, and every other property-owning Connecticut business.
On the other side of the aisle, the Speaker of the House said he'd abide no new taxes. It seems he's forgotten we're already paying the property tax. Fully funding PILOT is a merely a shift from a regressive tax with myriad negative impacts on our communities. Please see Developing Connecticut's Economic Future

It's nearing the end of the legislative season. Our elected representatives are understandably tired, frustrated, irritated, bored, and nervous. In short, it's peak season for bickering, posturing and grandstanding.

Please contact your Senator and your Representative and remind them it's an election year. There is serious work you expect them to do to Grow Connecticut Smart.

Please take the time to ask leadership to relieve our reliance on the property tax by increasing the state's share of municipal healthcare costs; education costs, including special education; and fully fund Payments in Lieu of Taxes.

This week's smart growth updates from the legislature follow:

Senate Bill 176 establishes a process and timeline for state long-term planning. It is sorely overdue! This bill's File Number is 502. It is Senate Calendar Number 333. It was recently approved by General Administration and Elections.

Senate Bill 285 would require the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation to rank project priorities, divulge their costs and disclose funding sources. In the past two years Connecticut's residents have funded two extensive reviews of DOT and transportation policy - we updated the Transportation Strategy and conducted a thorough review of the Department of Transportation. It's absurd that after all that, we don't know the agencies' priorities. If this bill passes, we won't know until January 2009. We shouldn't have to wait a minute longer. This bill has been referred to the Appropriations Committee. Its File Number is 71 and it is Senate Calendar Number 103.

House Bill 5324 makes recommendations to strengthen regional organizations. The most important recommendation is to reauthorize the regional incentive grant program. It was created a year ago and in its first year, demand far exceeded the $8 million surplus-funded program. This bill's File Number is 288. It was approved by the Appropriations Committee. It has House Calendar Number 132. Budget bill 5021, File Number 525, House Calendar Number 303 contains $5 million for the regional incentive grant program.

Senate Bill 39 defines responsible growth, tasks agency heads with coordinating large development projects, and advises vertical consistency in conservation and development planning. This bill is on the Senate Calendar Number 245. Ask the Senate to strengthen the bill with a floor amendment adopting the definition and principles of responsible growth unanimously approved by the Responsible Growth Task Force in its report submitted to the Governor in February. The bill was approved by General Administrations and Elections and has File Number 355.

Questions? Need contact information or more details? Call Heidi at 860/523-0003.

Design New Haven

commonweal — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:19:25 GMT

Please check out Design New Haven, an open civic forum about Downtown New Haven. Their mission is to encourage community dialogue on topics including economic development, transportation, history, downtown events, architecture/urban design, and the Route 34 Corridor.

Of particular importance to me is the Route 34 corridor. Built during the mid-1950s to initially connect the junction of I-91 and I-95 in New Haven through to Derby, the 1.1-mile, unfinished road cuts through the Oak Street neighborhood. More than 600 businesses and families (some of whom still gather at the annual Oak Street Reunion) were displaced to make way for the Rt. 34 Connector.

For me, this epitomizes the wanton highway construction that accompanied the urban renewal craze of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Sold as transportation for the future, these concrete behemoths were primarily land developments schemes that made it easier for suburbanites to get into city jobs and for developers to get into new projects. Small businesses and neighborhoods -- almost always poor or working class -- were inevitably disrupted and damaged. I guess we were borrowing from our mission in Vietnam -- destroy the village in order to save it.

Recently, however, local activists and the City of New Haven have proposed a plan to redevelop the Route 34 Connector into a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood of workforce housing, retail, and open space. To rally support for the project, the New Haven Urban Design League and theTri-State Transportation Campaign are hosting a symposium highlighting the plan on April 16th from 6pm to 8pm at New Haven's Career High School. The event will be headlined by John Norquist, president of the Congress for the New
Urbanism.

John Norquist, President of the Congress of New Urbanism the former Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin will lead the discussion. As Mayor of
Milwaukee, Mr. Norquist successfully removed Park East Freeway, the largest freeway removal project in the United States, and replaced it with a mixed-use development that included affordable housing, retail, office and open space. The Milwaukee redevelopment has been lauded as an excellent model of how to remake cities destroyed by highway projects into more pedestrian friendly, economically self-sustaining and environmentally friendly spaces.

UPDATE
John Norquist also will be at the Hartford Public Library on Tuesday to discuss the future of the Aetna Viaduct -- the elevated stretch of Interstate 84 between Sisson and Asylum avenue. Gotta love Mr. Norquist's quote about freeways running through cities: "They're a real turd in the punch bowl. You want to make a city ugly quick, put a freeway through the middle of it."

Overflow Crowd Postpones Zoning Commission Meeting

commonweal — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:32:09 GMT

Simsbury's Zoning Commission meeting was postponed last night because of an overflow crowd at Eno Hall. The meeting was to discuss the proposed Planned Development District (PDD) submitted by Konover so they can build their River Oaks project.

The meeting has been rescheduled for Thursday, April 10, and will be held at the Simsbury High School auditorium which can hold 900 people. Stay tuned!

Smart Growth News from the State Capitol

commonweal — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 23:23:26 GMT

A Message From 1000 Friends of CT

With a month remaining in the 2008 legislative session, now is the time to pick up the pace of our legislative advocacy for smart growth!

The committees have reported and budget negotiations have moved behind closed doors.

In this time of economic uncertainty, we need to be sure we are getting the highest caliber of governance from our state government. The following legislation professionalizes Connecticut's agencies by requiring an articulation of priorities and measuring progress.

Senate Bill 176 establishes a process and timeline for state long-term planning. It is sorely overdue! This bill has been referred for fiscal analysis.

Senate Bill 285 would require the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation to rank project priorities, divulge their costs and disclose funding sources. In the past two years Connecticut's residents have funded two extensive reviews of DOT and transportation policy - we updated the Transportation Strategy and conducted a thorough review of the Department of Transportation. It's absurd that after all that, we don't know the agencies' priorities. If this bill passes, we won't know until January 2009, we shouldn't have to wait a minute longer. This bill is on the Senate calendar.

House Bill 5324 makes recommendations to strengthen regional organizations.

The most important recommendation is to reauthorize the regional incentive grant program. It was created a year ago and in its first year, demand far exceeded the $8 million surplus-funded program. This bill is currently before the Appropriations Committee.

Senate Bill 39 defines responsible growth, tasks agency heads with coordinating large development projects, and advises vertical consistency in conservation and development planning.

This bill is on the Senate calendar. Ask your Senator to strengthen the bill with a floor amendment adopting the definition and principles of responsible growth unanimously approved by the Responsible Growth Task Force in its report submitted to the Governor in February.

Questions? Need contact information or more details? Call Heidi at 860/523-0003.

Konover PDD Application Rejected

commonweal — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:46:55 GMT

Last night, both the Simsbury Design Review Board (DRB) and the Simsbury Planning Commission (PC) unanimously voted to recommend that the Zoning Commission deny the Konover PDD application. On April 7 the Simsbury Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing to determine whether or not the town should approve a Planned Development District (PDD) that would allow mixed-use development in town. Currently, mixed-use development is not permitted in Simsbury.

For the record, I believe in mixed-use development. However, a key component of mixed use development is human scale architecture. Call me crazy, but big box stores are not what I think of when I hear the words human scale architecture. Konover claims in their PR campaign for the PDD that the April 7 public hearing is not about whether one supports or opposes River Oaks, it's about whether one supports or opposes a PDD that is needed in order to bring mix-use economic development to Simsbury.

The April 7th public hearing absolutely IS about River Oaks! If the Konover PDD is approved it will provide the legislative framework in the form of a mixed-use zoning regulation under which Konover will submit their application to build River Oaks. I can't imagine that Konover paid substantial amounts of money in attorney and consultant fees to submit a PDD application just because they felt some form of civic duty to help Simsbury write PDD zoning regulations. It is all about Konover's bottom line. Building River Oaks will make them a profit, so they will do anything to make sure it gets built -- it is a simple as that.

It's Deja Vu All Over Again

commonweal — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:49:04 GMT

(With spring almost in the air, I thought I would trot out this op/ed I wrote for the Courant last year. Nothing has changed of course: property taxes continue to spiral upward, budgets are getting tighter, and people are getting angrier, yet we continue to play by the same rules and expect different results. As I told a bunch of angry citizens at a local budget hearing last year, we are all going to be here next year, just as angry, and arguing over the same things. Unfortunately, thanks to the inaction of the state legislature, I was right.)

Another spring has arrived in Connecticut, and with it the obligatory haggling over town budgets. As usual, you have one side that stubbornly demands no increase in what it rightly perceives as already too high property taxes, and another side that decries what it views as draconian cuts to the education budget. Neither side ends up winning.
A modest increase in the mill rate is usually finally approved after lengthy hearings, but never enough to fully fund all the wished-for education programs. Both sides leave the process dissatisfied, angry, and all too quick to blame their local elected officials. The most tragic aspect of this yearly ritual, however, is the fact that both sides do a lot of talking and shouting, but they never really take a step back and listen to each other. If they did, they would discover that we are all players in a game in which the rules are stacked against us.

In Connecticut we have connected our highest priority and fastest-growing expense in local budgets - public education - to the slowest-growing source of revenue - local property taxes. Connecticut's local public education system is more reliant on the local property tax than all other states in the union because the percentage of education funding coming from state revenues - 37 percent - is near the bottom (45th) among the states. As a result, the property tax burden in Connecticut is the third-highest in the nation per capita and ranks as the 11th-highest in the nation when it comes to the percentage of personal income going to property taxes. These "rules" are a prescription for strife, whether evident in failed local budget referendums, constrained educational investment, or intergenerational struggles over priorities.

Furthermore, Connecticut's property tax structure has created a competition among the 169 towns for property tax funds and has put pressure on local officials to build the grand list by commercially developing available land - the so-called fiscalization of land use - to offset the high cost of residential development they can do little to control. The result is urban sprawl, the loss of farmland and open space, increased traffic congestion, and a decline in the quality of life in far too many of our communities.

With the rules as they are, local officials are pretty much constrained as to what they can do about these budgetary and land-use problems. Local officials are almost forced to produce the results that citizens, frustrated by high taxes, improperly funded education programs and bad land-use decisions, find so aggravating.

I am in no way attempting to absolve local officials from blame. In my hometown of Canton, for example, buying open space could have been made a priority years ago as a way to mitigate the impact of residential development. Instead, we get an open space commission with almost no money to purchase property. In addition, far too many of our local elected officials continue to believe that we can grow our way out of our financial problems.

For example, the Shoppes at Farmington Valley were hailed as the economic savior of Canton, yet here we are still unable to fully fund an education budget despite a 9 percent increase in our grand list. What is going to happen next year without such an increase? The fact is that we would have to build almost the equivalent of the Shoppes every year to offset just a 3 percent yearly increase in Canton's overall budget. If we are unable to control residential development, no amount of commercial development will be able to offset its impact on our budget.

Residential development attracts more commercial development which, in turn, attracts more residential development - it is just a vicious cycle. Property taxes, already some of the highest in the country, will simply continue to rise.

So what do we do? First, we need to acknowledge that the rules of the game are stacked against us. Whether you are for increased education budgets, lower property taxes, or the preservation of open space, we are all going to lose. Second, we need to pressure our elected state officials to change the rules. How the state funds local education needs to be completely overhauled. Simply put, the state needs to pay its fair share of local education expenditures.

It is imperative to increase the state's share to rectify the imbalance between state and local contributions to support local education. We should employ a diverse range of taxes with a broad base, with balance among income, sales, and property taxes. This means we should specifically avoid a heavy reliance on the local property tax, which hurts families and businesses, grows revenues slowly, and contributes to urban sprawl.

Someone once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If we don't change the rules of the game, we will continue to see the same fruitless results every spring. It's time we embrace the spirit of spring and begin to sow the seeds of change.

More Quick Hits

commonweal — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:06:11 GMT

Now that spring has arrived -- according to the calendar, not the thermometer -- there seems to be a lot of Smart Growth activity:

1. Volunteer for Smart Growth

1000 Friends of Connecticut, a state-wide, non-profit Smart Growth advocacy group seeks concerned and motivated individuals who want to join our campaign to Grow Connecticut Smart. Connecticut is at a critical crossroad and the time to act is now. There are countless opportunities to get involved and your participation will make a tremendous difference. Please contact us at 860.523.0003 or info@1000friends-ct.org. and we will give you all the details.

2. Check Out the Events Calendar

I have added a few more events to the calendar. Hope you can attend some of them.

3. Legislation

Several Smart Growth bills will be raised this year. I have added a few to the legislation box on the left side of the screen, more will be added soon.

4. Gray Fields

The Courant has an excellent story on the increase of "gray fields" in CT -- large, abandoned retail buildings and large movie theaters that have become eyesores in towns and cities across the state as developers struggle to think of feasible ways to re-use them. A shining example of why we need to build within scale.

Quick Hits

commonweal — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 01:16:20 GMT

They keep telling me spring is here, but my thermometer is telling me something different. Amyways, some interesting tidbits for you to digest.

1. SUCCESS OF OPEN SPACE REFERENDA

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy has an interesting article on the success of using local ballot referenda to preserve open space. Between 1998 and 2006 roughly 1,550 referenda have appeared on local, county or state ballot across the U.S. Of these, approximately 80% have passed. In CT, there have been 47 and 42 have passed. Rhode Island, by the way, is 40/40.

2. NO BIKES ON COMMUTER TRAINS

The CT DOT still doesn't get it. Despite all the talk from Governor Rell about the dawning of a new era for the agency, they still continue to think with a one track mind (no pun intended). On May 19, the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council voted against a resolution, which asked Metro-North and Connecticut DOT to provide bicycle parking on New Haven Line cars. In fact, according to several people who attended the Council's meeting, a number of members on the Commuter Council appeared to be hostile toward cyclist's concerns and so did rail officials from C-DOT and Metro-North. This decision was despite the fact that bicycle advocates received repeated assurances from CT DOT Rail officials that bicycle parking would be included in the M-8 rail car design and an e-mail from the Commuter Council chair that said "Metro-North is now telling me they're designing bike tie-downs forthe new M8 rail cars..."

Advocates are urging bicyclists to speak out in favor of setting aside dedicated space for bicycle parking on the new M-8 train cars and refurbished M-2 train cars at the annual President's Forum (Peter Cannito, President, Metro-North Railroad) this Wednesday March 26th from 5 to 7 p.m. You may sign up to speak starting at 4:45 p.m. The forum will take place at MTA Headquarters, 347 Madison Avenue, 5th Floor. That's between 44th & 45th Streets. Bring photo ID.

Konover is Back

commonweal — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 19:53:01 GMT

In an effort to get their River Oaks project approved, Konover has submitted an application to the Zoning Commission for a Planned Development District (PDD) text amendment. If the Konover PDD zoning text amendment is approved by the six members of the Zoning Commission, then River Oaks will be built to Konover's specifications which will include a 130,000 sq ft big box store, another 60,000 sq ft grocery store plus additional retail, residential and commercial that will result in almost 1,000,000 total sq ft of building, 2,600 parking spaces, and at least 60% lot coverage.

I find it the height of arrogance and autocratic behavior that some elected officials in Simsbury are totally opposed to a collaborative, democratic process that provides a framework for creating a shared vision, otherwise known as a charrette, but are in favor of a corporation coming into town and proposing a zoning regulation that will benefit the bottom line of the same corporation. How much thought do you think Konover gave to the impact this PDD will have on the town as a whole? The answer is exactly none. The only thought was about the almighty dollar. Democracy has indeed been made a mockery by this entire River Oaks process!!

If this PDD passes, the people of Simsbury will have, for all intents and purposes, lost any remaining shred of control they had over land use decisions in their town. Corporations, with their legal teams and money, will now rule the town. Have a project that our zoning regulations -- regulations supposedly written by the people through their representatives -- don't allow? Just submit some alternative language that will make it acceptable and you will be bulldozing the land in no time.

Passage of this PDD will ensure that citizens will continue to lose faith in the process and in government in general at a time when we need more public participation and citizen involvement. Rather than stand up for the democratic process and the decisions of the people, far too many Simsbury officials have simply abdicated their responsibility. Is it any wonder people have no faith in government anymore?

Here is the timeline for the hearing on the PDD as sent to me by SHARE

? Tues. March 25th, 7:00 pm Town Hall: Planning Commission will discuss the Konover PDD application. NO PUBLIC INPUT WILL BE ALLOWED. However, written comments will be accepted by the PC.
Please send all written comments to: Hiram Peck at hpeck@simsbury-ct.gov with copies to Planning Commission Chairman Loomis at jloomis@simsbury-ct.gov and Zoning Commission Chairman Barney at abarney@simsbury-ct.gov

? Tues. April 1st, 7:00 pm Town Hall: Planning Commission will vote on the referral of the Konover PDD application and send it to the Zoning Commission. The PC can vote to deny it, approve it as is, or approve it with comments. The PC vote is only an advisory to the Zoning Commission.

? Monday April 7th, 7:00 pm Eno Hall: ZONING COMMISSION WILL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE KONOVER PDD APPLICATION. This is the critical opportunity for you as a resident and taxpayer of Simsbury to stand up in public and tell the Zoning Commission you are opposed to Konover's attempt to bulldoze through a zoning regulation that would forever change the unique character of our town. This will be the last opportunity for residents to voice objections before the final, deciding vote is taken. If you care about the future of Simsbury, DO NOT MISS THIS MEETING!