City of New Britain
Office of Mayor Timothy Stewart
MEDIA ADVISORY
September 22, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lisa Carver, (860) 826-3303
PUBLIC MEETING SCHEDULES RELEASED FOR PROPOSED COSTCO DEVELOPMENT
New Britain Mayor Timothy Stewart announced today a schedule of meetings in conjunction with the proposed Costco development on Hartford Road. All meetings are open to the public and will include opportunities for public comment. The meetings, which will all be held at New Britain City Hall, 27 West Main Street are as follows:
Monday, September 26, 2011: Board of Finance and Taxation, 6:00 pm in Room 201
Wednesday, September 28, 2011: Common Council resolution on purchase and sale agreement with Costco. 7:00 pm Council Chambers, 2nd floor. Resolution will be referred to the Council’s Committee on Planning, Zoning and Housing for a public hearing.
Thursday, September 29, 2011: Parks and Recreation Commission, 6:00 pm in Room 201.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011: Council Planning, Zoning and Housing Committee Public Hearing. 7:00 pm Council Chambers, 2nd floor.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 (tentative pending PZH Committee action): Common Council vote on purchase and sale agreement. 7:00 pm Council Chambers, 2nd floor.
“I encourage New Britain residents to attend these meetings to listen to the discussion on this important proposal for our community.” Mayor Stewart said today. “Both proponents and opponents to this project should take advantage of these multiple opportunities to let their opinions be heard.”
New Britain council unanimously approves zone change for Costco 15-0, but some Democrat Common Council members like Alderman Michael Trueworthy and David DeFronzo and Eva Magnuszewski warn they won't be pushed into a final sale of the land to Costco.
ReplyDeleteLocal opponents against Costco have now concentrated on the Stanley deed/trust. Even though a new plan for the golf course eliminates the use of AW Stanley Park the opponents keep coming back with another obstacle, e.g., you’re still going to use a sliver of the park, you’re going to increase traffic, etc.
ReplyDeleteAlderman Trueworthy and the Democrats love it because their Mayoral front-runner Tim O'Brien has gone on record as against COSTCO. Also, some residents have threatened to sue COSTCO...?
HARTFORD CT - In a recent letter from Assistant Attorney General Karen Gano to New Britain City Attorney Gennaro Bizzarro, plus a cc copy to Michael Trueworthy, President Pro-Tempore of Common Council, 383 Monroe Street, New Britain, CT 06052.
ReplyDeleteAG's Karen Gano's letter stated that Attorney General George Jepsen "will not make any decision positive or negative about the proposed land sale to Costco".
Assistant Attorney Gano's letter also stated that the AG's office would examine any purchase by Costco to ensure it's consistent with the intent of a deed established by Alix Stanley that dictates uses for Stanley Park land.
Thanks for keeping us informed Frank. Your blog is imperative to the community.
ReplyDeleteDon Stacom of the Courant reported on the Mayor's press release in this morning's edition. Of course, the Herald didn't feel the press release was newsworthy - maybe tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteStacom pointed to the usual naysayers on the Dem side of the Council, though he didn't name them. Anonymous commenter #1 took care of that.
It looks as though Anonymous commenter #2 took a couple of paragraphs from my most recent letter to the editor (Herald, 9/19).
Anyway, look for the Council Dems, led by Trueworthy, Hermanowski and DeFronzo to oppose the final deal; they prefer being political to doing what is best for vast majority of New Britain's 71 K population, especially the taxpayers. Why help the people of New Britain when you can direct your energy to
trying to elect the do-nothing Dem mayoral
candidate. To heck with raising sorely need revenue to help the common good, help the Dem party!
It is interesting to make comparisons on issues. Here on this blog the Obamacare issue was deemed to be rammed through, shoved down the throats of the American People. Pass it and ask questions later regardless of the consequences.
ReplyDeleteOn a local level this Costco issue is being rammed down the throats of the residents but that's ok? Ramn it through and ask questions later. We should all appreciate the efforts made to thoroughly review the Costco proposal before making a quick decision.
Costco is not being rammed down the throats of anyone. Attend the numerous meetings listed on this blog under Mayor Stewart's press release. Be informed not a hearsay listener.
ReplyDelete"On a local level this Costco issue is being rammed down the throats of the residents but that's ok? Ramn it through and ask questions later. We should all appreciate the efforts made to thoroughly review the Costco proposal before making a quick decision.
ReplyDeleteSeptember 23, 2011 7:32 "
The ridiculous commenter above must be one of the opponents. There have been numerous meetings about this proposal since the Spring. Stop telling lies and use your name instead of hiding behind an "Anonymous" tag.
Opponents and proponents alike have spoken on the issue at every Council meeting for the past 6 months.
HARTFORD COURANT/ CTNOW/ Page B2 — NEW BRITAIN CONTROVERSY/Public Is Invited To Speak About Proposed Mega-store...
ReplyDelete...The controversial proposal to build a Costco mega-store on the northern end of the city-owned Stanley Golf Course goes to a series of public meetings over the next several weeks.
If the complex deal goes through, the city would sell more than 15 acres of golf course and woodlands to the retailer. Appraisals have put the value at $3 million to $4 million, and Mayor Timothy Stewart estimates the city would also take in as much as $600,000 a year in new real estate and sales taxes.
In turn, the city would buy surplus land from the state Department of Transportation and restore the lost section of golf course there — with Costco paying the cost.
But neighboring homeowners and preservationists are concerned that allowing a large-scale commercial building along the wooded, unspoiled section of Hartford Road will trigger a series of new development initiatives. They contend that without deep public opposition, even the Costco proposal would have been far more destructive. The company's initial plan involved tearing up part of nearby A.W. Stanley Park.
Stewart is calling on taxpayers to attend the public meetings to voice their concerns.
"Both proponents and opponents to this project should take advantage of these multiple opportunities to let their opinions be heard," he said in a statement Thursday. "I encourage New Britain residents to attend these meetings to listen to the discussion on this important proposal for our community."
Meetings about the project before various government bodies will all be at city hall, and will include opportunities for comment. The schedule is:
Finance board, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m.
Common Council, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m.
•Parks and Recreation Commission, Sept. 29, at 6 p.m.
•The council's planning, zoning and housing committee, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m.
If the zoning committee endorses a sale deal agreement that Stewart has negotiated, the full council would vote on it Oct. 12 at 7 p.m.
Stewart is pushing hard to get the project approved before his term ends in November. He argues that the financially strapped city needs the tax revenue as well as the roughly 220 jobs that Costco promises to create.
Some council members have agreed, but others say they want more details about exactly what the company would do. Skeptics also suggest the assessments are vastly below actual market value, and that Costco should pay substantially more for the land.
#30# Linotype/4th Estate/Pocket Pal
I have no doubt that the radicals in the Democratic socialist party of New Britain will do everything in their power to derail the Costco project and Costco will simply move it down the road a few hundred feet where it will benefit the taxpayers of Farmington, Newington, or West Hartford.
ReplyDeleteCostco would be better off in the long run because they will no longer have to deal with the radical likes of Trueworthy, O'Brien, and the rest of Little Mack's band of extremist merry-men.
Word has it that Trueworthy has called Newington City Officials and is trying to get them to squash the Costco deal be refusing to let the DOT land in Newington to go to NB. Maureen Klett in Newington is said to be trying to blackmail NB into blocking the Busway in return for releasing the DOT land for Costco development. More fun and games from Trueworthy.
ReplyDelete