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Selling Out Connecticut: Developers Propose Mega Warehouses in Ashford and Middlebury

As reported in the Hartford Courant on March 6, developers have proposed a 750,000-square-foot distribution center in suburban Middlebury and a 1,000,000-square-foot one in rural Ashford, to the dismay of the people who live there.

Developers keep trying to woo towns and their residents with the prospect of Jobs! And Tax Revenue!, as if that compensates for the traffic, noise, pollution, habitat loss, displaced wildlife, and all-around massive carbon footprint. Not exactly the climate action we need to take in our ‘brief and rapidly closing window’ if humanity is going to avoid a hotter, deadly future of climate change.

The good news is residents are using social media, online fundraisers, and lawn signs to organize opposition. They’re writing their local officials. And they’re showing up – and speaking up – at town meetings. And it’s working.

Courant writer Don Stacom reports that “Willington and Cromwell residents fiercely opposed mega-warehouses proposed in their communities and won despite some initial approval from town officials. East Granby successfully pressed local planners to reject a proposal that would have allowed warehouses of up to 800,000 square feet.”

In Middlebury, opponents launched an online fundraiser hoping to generate $50,000 to hire a soil scientist and other engineers to testify against the project as a hazard to nearby wetlands and ponds. (Talk to the soil scientist from Willington?) In Ashford, opponents have launched two websites — keepashfordrural.net and nomegawarehouse.com— to build support.

Next Steps for Ashford & Middlebury

  • March 28, @ 7:30 pm: Middlebury Conservation Commission Hearing
    • Meeting will be in Shepardson Community Center in Room 26
    • Send your polite email opposing the warehouse to Conservation Commission and staff
    • Know who’s on your Conservation Commission
Know someone who lives in Middlebury or Ashford? Send them this article and tell them to speak up. It makes a difference.  Read the full Courant story here.