Troubled by the realities of traffic that stacks up regularly, shortening tempers, eroding good judgment and leading to accidents, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday night not to grant a “certificate of location approval” for a new gas station on Danbury Road, across from South Street.
That is well done. The vote is only the first step — it instructs the town planner to draw up a formal resolution of denial, which goes to a second vote. Then, there will be a special permit application to be dealt with.
But the commission’s intention is clear: Stop & Shop will not soon be building the gas station proposed as part of its program to reward regular grocery shoppers with discounts on gasoline purchases — at least, not at that troublesome location.
When it’s finished dealing with the gas station proposal, the commission should use it as an occasion to look over its zoning map and reconsider areas — like the site in question — where long-standing commercial zones allow high intensity uses that, perhaps, are no longer practical.
This proposal was for a gas station, which state law recognizes as a use of exceptional concern with the extra requirement that a “certificate of location approval” be granted as a first step toward development. There are other high-traffic uses that may be inappropriate for busy Danbury Road — and other locations in town — that would not allow the commission this extra discretion. Limited to the usual zoning considerations, the commission could be hard pressed to turn them down.
It’s difficult to change zoning in ways that may reduce the development options — and possibly the dollar return, both for property owner and town tax collector. But some of the town’s commercial zoning dates from the days when state highways like Route 35 and Route 7 were big roads with relatively little traffic.
Today, the town’s state highways are dramatically overburdened. That’s a reality that isn’t going away. The town’s zoning map should reflect it.
Secondhand Rose
September 11, 2012
These roads might not be so “dramatically overburdened” if the town would pay some attention to the traffic flow and adjust the timing of the traffic lights accordingly.
In addition, if more residents would utilize Ligi’s Way instead of attempting cross-traffic left turns onto Danbury Road it would go a long way to helping traffic flow much better. It makes tremendous sense to pass a law preventing these left turns. Drivers can exit all the strip malls to Ligi’s Way or use the drive-throughs into and out of the Stop & Shop parking lot. Jsut about every business between Toscano Restaurant and Stop & Shop share connected drive-throughs that exit through the Stop & Shop parking lot.
After all, that’s why those drive-throughs and Ligi’s Way on the other side were built in the first place – to get the traffic OFF Danbury Road!
CMcQuilken
September 11, 2012
I feel like we keep shooting ourselves in the foot… and then complain that our foot hurts.
We need tax revenue. Other towns have much more tax revenue from business than we do. But when business knocks on our door, I see us shoo them away.
And then we complain that our residential tax burden is too high.
We can’t have it both ways.
Secondhand Rose
September 11, 2012
Don’t forget all the outcry over losing the so-called “New England Charm” of the town, either. If you want to attract business then you have to agree to let a few big box stores. Forget about making everything look like it was built in the 1940s. This is 2012, it’s way past time that Ridgefield should be growing along with the rest of the area. If you want to live in the country then you should move there – but Fairfield County is not “the country” and it never will be.
Talk about “can’t have it both ways!” You can’t expect to gain any kind of tax revenue from these tiny little overpriced stores and restaurants that cater to the minimum few who can afford them and then overlook the working-class who actually LIVE here and can’t afford to SHOP here, whose homes are being foreclosed on and whose rents are being priced so sky-high that they have to move out of town.
Jan Rifkinson
September 12, 2012
So let’s see….. big box stores or….. what? Nothing? This is progress? Reminds me of the time some developer wanted to destroy Grand Central Station in NYC & called it progress.
No. I think it will take some creative thinking & planning to develop a commercial base that works for Ridgefield & Ridgefielders. And I can’t think of a single reason to destroy it with big box stores so it can ‘grow’.
That’s just plain silly IMO.
CMcQuilken
September 13, 2012
Maybe big box stores do make sense. Not on Main Street or Danbury Road. But on Route 7. It seems silly to me that to our north on Route 7 Danbury has allowed big box stores. And to our south on Route 7 WIlton has allowed big box stores. Yet we have nothing on Route 7. I think this is the key to solving our tax problems. Encourage big stores on Route 7. It is on the outskirts of town. It doesn’t impact the look and feel of our beautiful Main Street — or what’s left of our beautiful Main Street.
What I do know is we can’t keep going down this path of trying to keep up with neighboring towns, while they let businesses help shoulder the burden of tax increases, whereas we place the burden on residents because we keep shooing away the businesses. IMHO.
Secondhand Rose
September 13, 2012
The town could start by adding a few more grocery stores, maybe a Big Y or Whole Foods. Wouldn’t hurt to entice some big corporations into town either, but they don’t pay much in the way of property tax. Unfortunately most, if not all, employees would have to move to Danbury or Norwalk due to the high local rents and real estate prices, but hey, you can’t have everything.
George
September 18, 2012
Whole Foods is moving into Danbury, where that milk bar (Marcus Dairy) used to be, near the airport. However, Whole Foods isn’t that price competitive.
I’d be happy if a grocery chain wanted to move onto Route 7, although there already are two groceries on Route 7: Ancona’s and Caraluzzi’s.
Big box is not necessarily the wave of the future. I’m not going to oppose a big box store that wanted to move to Route 7, but I also don’t see that happening. Sure, grocery stores, Target and Walmart will continue to need large stores. Big bookstores are fading, and Barnes & Noble is really the only big chain left, and it’ll be interesting to see if they can hang on. Major electronic stores are also disappearing: Circuit City, CompUSA and others have recently gone under. The ability to take your iphone and price comparison shop and most retailers, coupled with a sales tax advantage for many online retailers, means that big box retail’s success is not guaranteed.
I just don’t see big box moving into Ridgefield with all of the vacant spots for big box in Danbury. The mall in Danbury had a hard time renting out Filene’s, so converted that space to two big restaurants instead. Personally, I’ll take online shopping over shopping in stores any day. My goodness, it’s so much easier. I’ve got Amazon Prime and use it all the time.
Bob
September 18, 2012
I understand the sentiment and agree in part, however, as at least one other poster pointed out, the one aspect that you are ignoring is that commercial real property taxes can go a long way in easing the tax burden on residential taxpayers. Commercial buildings (other than mixed use buildings) add to the non-residential tax base without bringing any more school children into town. And with the increasing demand for more spending, we homeowners can use the help. It’s all interconnected.
CMcQuilken
September 18, 2012
I think we are left in a tough position now, maybe an impossible position. The Mall is looking mighty enticing, for both shoppers and future stores. It’s as if the laws of physics take over and if you get enough good stores in a cluster, they create their own gravity and attract even more good stores.
Cheesecake Factory, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Sports Authority, Whole Foods, Sears, Macys – individually they are great attractions, and together with their combined mass, they are like a black hole, sucking in shoppers and more new stores.
Maybe the retail window has closed for Ridgefield. I think the bigger name stores will locate near the Mall.
We could hope for corporate headquarters on our stretch of Route 7, but who are we kidding, this is CT and we are not corporate friendly.
I think our fate was set when we shooed away IBM – at that moment we shooed away our future.
Maybe as one last ditch effort we could adopt a policy that if retail or corporate locates on our Route 7, we will let them operate tax-free for the first 5 years. It doesn’t help us in the short term, but maybe it could save us later on. But one thing I’m sure of, if we do nothing, we are in trouble. Ridgefielders make less salary than other DRG towns, and we have fewer businesses to help offset the tax burden. That is not sustainable.
And I don’t think a pocket park on an unattractive stretch of road will solve this… Really Ridgefield, what are you thinking? Is there a longer term plan? Just pay the higher taxes and then move out when the kids graduate High School? I think even that plan will come crashing down when people are forced to sell their houses at a loss. Might already be the case. IMHO.
RPOZ28
September 18, 2012
No ROSE and Quilken!!!! Totally wrong!!!! This town needs to stop spending money on DUMB THINGS LIKE THE LIBRARY. It has nothing to do with BOX STORES. Every big development puts a NAIL IN THE COFFIN OF THIS TOWN. It is the BIG DEVELOPMENTS that are destroying this town. Example 16 town owned buildings are rented from the town for ONE DOLLAR A YEAR. What the hell is that all about. And outstanding deliquent TAXES are somewhere around 2.5 million dollars. How can this town and it”s leaders lease buildings for one DOLLAR A YEAR and pay the utility bills and heating costs. Tell me this town is not MISS MANAGED. Stop sugar coating the obvious and ask the leaders in 400 MAIN ST TO EXPLAIN THIS. Both of you do not understand the town is in HOCK FOR 121 MILLION DOLLARS the highest DEBT town in the state and still spending like drunken SAILORS. It will never stop because the residents dont care dont vote this stuff down and they dont GIVE A DAM BECAUSE THEY MOVE EVENTUALLY AND LEAVE US WITH THE BILLS!!!
So please explain this either one of you and the BOX STORE thing is the dumbest thing i ever heard. Doing business in this town is to expensive. Look at the empty stores and more are being built that will follow this trend. It is well over due for a change in 400 Main St. The present people are totally incompetent!!!