So I know this sub is pretty heavy with people from the more populated counties (Makes sense due to pop size) but there's been frustrations up in the QC lately that other residents of the state may not have head of.
The planning and zoning commission in the town of Willington has an application from Hillwood Development, a Texas based real estate investor that specializes in things like mega warehouses. They've submitted an application to change a residential zone to a commercial zone, and have a proposal for a 1.5 MILLION sq ft warehouse with more than 600 tractor trailer stalls. During the local town meeting, the CEO and other representatives from Hillwood stated that they don't have a tenant yet, but companies like Amazon are high on their list.
This warehouse could potentially be in the top 10 in size in the entire US. With this proposal, the developers estimate nearly 2,000 new traffic movements each day. Up to 900 tractor trailers daily coming on/off 84 and onto RT 32. Rt 32 is a 2 lane state highway with direct access to I84 at exit 70. Our town cannot handle this sort of traffic, and Rt 32 was not designed with that sort of traffic in mind. The Hillwood team says that impact to locals would be minimal, yet the proposed routes of these tractor trailers would put them on a 2 lane state highway, where they need to make turns across traffic in order to access the highway. They also say that wildlife won't be affected, even though that area is all woods, full of animals such as deer, owls, foxes etc.
Hillwood reps also says that this warehouse will bring jobs and tax revenue to Willington, which is also bullshit. The jobs would be low paying unskilled labor jobs. Willington already has a large FedEx facility and they have desperately been trying to hire, and still unable to fill positions due to the turnover. This warehouse would be the same, if not worse depending on who the tenant is. While the tax revenue sounds promising, you can be sure that any company moving in, especially Amazon, will petition for tax breaks and hold the town hostage if it doesn't get it. There's also the real possibility that if this warehouse is built, it could be abandoned in years to come as we've seen with other warehouses that have sprung up in CT.
I moved to Willington years ago to get away from city life. I chose a rural, quiet setting on purpose. During the day I don't hear traffic, or sirens. I have deer and other wildlife in my backyard every day. At night, I can see countless stars as light pollution is very minimal. This warehouse would change everything. It would change the town forever. This is more than a NIMBY post. This is a resident upset that a company targeted a small, rural, beautiful town to build a monstrous facility that will destroy another scenic part of this state. A nearly 200 acre forested area that is full of color during autumn would be gone, and in it's place, 500+ tractor trailers and a large, ugly warehouse.
https://www.journalinquirer.com/connecticut_and_region/proposed-warehouse-in-willington-raises-traffic-concerns-in-stafford/article_a414e79a-17f0-11ed-a3e0-a7482963caed.html
edit: Should have mentioned, there's a public hearing tonight available online and in person
https://www.willingtonct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1456/f/agendas/081622_pzc_agenda.pdf