Merrigan’s salvage operation
At the last public hearing regarding 64 South Elm Street, issues were mentioned involving a dumpster that had been on the property long-term and an associated salvage operation. Because Merrigan denied everything, here I will go into greater detail. The house had been cleared out, power was disconnected, and it was marked for demolition back […]
Examples of Merrigan bending the rules on applications
In the recent public hearing of the Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) regarding the zone change at 64 South Elm Street, there were some public comments about M&L bending the rules on his past applications. Attorney Paul Smith expressed faux outrage at this, complaining that specifics weren’t listed. So, here is a list of some […]
Merrigan doesn’t like the public. Who knew?
I recently discovered the following letter that Gary Merrigan submitted last year in support of SB 1024. I think SB 1024 had good and bad, but let’s see what insight Gary has. Let’s look at a few things. This may look like an SMS to a drinking buddy. But this is his professional life, so […]
Will taxpayers pick up the bill for Merrigan’s sewage?
Short version A few weeks ago, in the public hearing regarding 64 South Elm Street, Merrigan was allowed to use his previous sewer approval instead of getting a new approval for this new application. This is important, because new, troubling information has been discovered in the interim. The Planning & Zoning Commission approved this zone […]
Why isn’t there a grocery store in Windsor Locks?
At the public hearing for the zone change at 64 South Elm Street, somebody (I forget who, you hear so many stupid things at these meetings) mentioned that we have never in recent years been able to support a grocery store in Windsor Locks. The implication was that all that stuff in the Plan of […]
The existence of Uber does not mean everything is transit-oriented development!
It turns out that our Planning & Zoning Commission doesn’t understand the basics of smart growth and transit-oriented development. At a public hearing last week, two members implied that everywhere in town fits the definition because we have a senior shuttle. Numerous residents (in letters and in person) spent most of two public hearing sessions […]
Quality
I was thinking today about the fence around the proposed development at 64 South Elm Street. During the public hearings over the past year, a few members of the commission spent an exorbitant amount of time talking about it, describing it as a blight on the community. Putting aside how the discussion was a waste […]
Dumb Growth
If you listen to the Planning & Zoning Commission or the town Planner, Jen Rodriguez, you’ll hear a lot about “smart growth.” The problem? Very little they talk about is smart. You’ll also hear the buzz phrase, “Transit Oriented Development” quite frequently. The problem? Much of their development is actually the opposite. It is true […]
Snow removal
Windsor Locks, like many backward-thinking towns and cities, places the burden of sidewalk snow removal on the fraction of residents who were unlucky enough to have a sidewalk built in their front yard. This is bad for the elderly and disabled, and it causes problems for working people. It also results in an unwalkable town. […]
Blight Ordinance
Last year, Windsor Locks passed a new blight ordinance. I guess the old ordinance may have had some problems, but it sounds like the real problem was that it provided homeowners with too much due process so it wasn’t possible to have an angry neighbor’s will imposed without the hassle of going through the courts. […]