Recent as of 11-2-2006

SHARE Volunteers Needed on Election Day!

Many of you have asked repeatedly "What can I do to prevent a big box store from being built in my town?" or "How can I help SHARE?". Well, next Tues., 11/7, election day, is your chance to help out! With a large voter turn out expected, we have a great opportunity for SHARE to educate Simsbury residents about the potential for big box development in town and register new SHARE members. The only way to do this is for you to volunteer a few hours at one of the four polling places to hand out SHARE literature and to collect signatures and home/email addresses for the SHARE petition prohibiting big box stores from being built in Simsbury.

Polls are located at Eno Hall, Latimer Lane School, Tootin Hills School and Tariffville School. They open at 6 am and close at 8 pm. We will provide you with the SHARE literature and petition forms. Please reply to SHARE or to KGriebel@SBCGlobal.net and let us know when and where you would like to volunteer and the best way to contact you. Thank you for supporting SHARE! We can't win this without all of you!

Follow up – Re: The Zoning Commission Public Hearing

Dear Simsbury Resident and SHARE Supporter:

Here is a long email… please stick with us and read it through.

We’d like to follow up on last Monday night’s public hearing regarding the Zoning Commission’s amendments to the Town Zoning Regulations. <<Click here to read more>>

Zoning Proposal Stirs Heated Debate
By Diane Struzzi, Hartford Courant - October 17 2006

SIMSBURY -- Residents sent a strong message to the zoning commission Monday night: Do more research before moving forward on a proposal to change the zoning regulations.

The public hearing at Eno Memorial Hall drew more than 100 and became contentious at times, as residents tried to speak over the three-minute limit set by the zoning commission. They voiced their opposition to big-box retailers and said they feared losing the bucolic character of Simsbury. <<Click here to read more>>

!! Please sign our new Petition !!

We are continuing to collect signatures for our new petition prohibiting the Town Zoning Commission to amend the current zoning regulations to include language which would allow Konvover to build their big box development on either the CL&P land or the land near the skating center. If you have already signed the petition, we thank you for your support. Please make sure that all members of your family who are registered voters have also signed the petition.

Even if you have signed our first petition, or signed up for our mailing list we still need your signature for this petition, as all signatures will be presented to our Elected Officials.

To sign the petition, please <<click here>>

Thank you for your support.

River Oaks: Big Change Or Big Box?
Rick Green, Hartford Courant - September 26 2006

If somebody mentions "new urbanism" or "smart growth" again, I'm going to spit up my double cap decaf latte.

What about developers who just do the right thing - who think about traffic and congestion and the values of a community at the same time they think about lining their pockets? <<Click here to read more>>

Proposed Zoning Revision Prompts Big-Box Fears
Diane Struzzi, Hartford Courant - September 20 2006

SIMSBURY -- A proposed change to the town's zoning regulations that supports mixed-use development has spurred concern among a homeowners' organization opposed to big-box retail developments. <<Click here to read more>>

Reality Of Big Boxes

Hartford Courant Editorial – July 30, 2006

In “A Kinder, Gentler Big Box?” [July 23, Place Section], columnist Tom Condon asks, “Can a big box be part of an appealing mixed-use development?” There are two answers: a theoretical “maybe”, but a realistic “no.” <<Click here to read more>>

Highway to the Danger Zone

The battle over River Oaks, a big-box development in Simsbury, will be fought before the Zoning Commission

Nathan Conz, The Hartford Advocate – July 27, 2006

Monday night, there was an elephant in the room at a special meeting of the Simsbury Zoning Commission.

That elephant was the pending creation of River Oaks, a mixed-use, big-box development planned by Konover Development Corporation on land off Hopmeadow Street near the Avon border.

A large, vocal citizens group, Simsbury Homeowners Advocating Responsible Expansion (SHARE), opposes the development and, on Monday, they joined Zoning Commission members, a handful of other town officials and one devilishly handsome reporter to fill a conference room. <<Click here to read more>>

The Myth Of Big Bucks And Big Box Developments
Tom Sevigny, Hartford Courant - July 23 2006

I recently had the pleasure of attending a SHARE (Simsbury Homeowners Advocating Responsible Expansion) sponsored forum on River Oaks, the proposed big box development - or should I say lifestyle center - on Route 10. <<Click here to read more>>