Recent as of 11-16-2006

Zoning Commission Public Hearing – Your chance to be heard

Thank you to the many volunteers who helped collect signatures in support of the SHARE zoning amendment proposal this past election day. We were able to meet lots of new people at the polls and get signatures from existing and new SHARE supporters. Because of all your efforts we now have over 2,200 signatures of residents from all areas of town. The support for the proposal is wide and loud and makes it clear that this is a town issue and not a NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) issue.

We will be presenting the proposal and the signatures to the Zoning Commission at the public hearing next Monday, Nov. 20th at 7 pm at Eno Hall. This is your opportunity to voice your support of the SHARE proposal to limit all new retail stores in Simsbury to 40,000 sq. ft., unless it is built with a curb cut (direct access) to Rte 44. An example of a comparably sized retail store, is Andy's Market on Hopmeadow St. We strongly urge you to attend this public hearing and let your voices be heard. Either at the end of the public hearing or at the next Zoning Commission meeting the commissioners will vote on the proposal - when the commission vote takes place is up to the discretion of Zoning Commission Chairman Barney.

Just to clarify the process to everybody (based on a question we frequently get asked)...the residents of Simsbury do not, and will not, have the right to vote on this zoning amendment proposal. Nor will we have the right to vote on whether or not Konover's River Oaks (which will be anchored by a 128,000 square foot big box store) will be built on Rte 10 in Simsbury. Unfortunately, this is the way the Simsbury zoning regulations work - citizens do not have a vote on this issue. The only chance you have to express your opinion about having a big box store in our town, is at the various public hearings. The final decision rests with the land use boards - the Design Review Board, the Planning Commission and ultimately the Zoning Commission. We cannot stress enough the importance of having large numbers of people turn out for these public hearings. It does make a difference! Your elected officials need to see you and hear from you - they need to represent you - then maybe they will cast a vote that truly represents their constituents, the residents of Simsbury, and not just the developers.

So, please attend any and all public land use and Board of Selectmen meetings. Call, email, and write your public officials to let them know your opinions on this issue. Write letters to the editor of the Hartford Courant and the Simsbury Post. Be sure your voice is heard as individuals, not just as a household - each household often represents more than one legal vote or voice, so let the town officials hear each and every one of you. Again, let your voice be heard!!! Your voice and your words are your only way to express yourself on this issue because, again, you do not get a vote!!! Your words and your voice needs to be your vote!!!

Draft 2007 Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) – Now available

After years of work, the draft of the 2007 Plan of Conservation and Development has been completed by our Town Planning Commission. It is available on the Town of Simsbury website, or by clicking here. Please feel free to read it and share your thoughts with us, as well as the town Planning Commissioners.

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>>