An Open Letter to Hadley Voters

Dear Neighbors,

We are a group of fellow Hadley residents greatly concerned about our town and the proposed rezoning of the Bison Farm. It's understandable and appropriate that there's much debate about this issue.

Lowe's development team has made many effective presentations supporting the rezoning. Their ample budget includes an experienced developer and a public relations person whose paid job is to convince us that having a bigger Lowe's in Hadley is a good thing for us with no down side.

Another Perspective

Many of us who are opposed to the rezoning would like to share our perspectives, too. None of us is opposed development in Hadley. We all support the success of the Long Hollow Bison Farm and the Ciaglo Family. We're also concerned about keeping property taxes affordable, and about the long-term survival of farming in our town. We want Hadley to be a place our children will enjoy as much as we do.

However, we feel strongly that there are many reasons to be cautious about this rezoning. We think that careful long-term planning is essential before we allow another giant retail store to build here at this time. This rezoning would allow Lowe's to build the largest store in Hadley—a store the size of four football fields!

What About the Houses?

We've been told that voting for the rezoning would protect us from the extra costs new housing would bring. It is true that houses bring new costs to town in school and other services such as water, sewer, police, fire and road maintenance. But fewer than 20 houses can be built on the site. Hundreds of new houses have gone up in Hadley in the last few years. Selectman Brian West said that within 3-5 years, 100 new houses per year a year could be built in Hadley. Converting 13 acres of agricultural/residential land to commercial offers no protection from these new developments. We need to develop planning approaches that limit new housing and insure that developers pay most of the costs associated with new developments.

We are also told that a larger Lowe's would bring more tax revenue to Hadley. Perhaps, but that doesn't address the extra costs a larger store would bring, such as more police and fire costs, more pollution, traffic with its wear and tear on our roads, strain on our water supply, and lost tax revenues from the smaller stores that would surely go out of business.

Four Good Reasons to Vote Against Rezoning:

1. Traffic - Lowe's expects to generate an additional 6,000-8,000 car trips a day on Route 9. Even without the 8,000-10,000 trips a day Home Depot expects, this is clearly a disaster. People already avoid Route 9. This increased traffic will spill over onto our side roads, creating speed hazards, pollution, accidents, and destroying our quiet neighborhoods. People on Rocky Hill and Bay Roads and North and South Maple are already experiencing these problems. A larger store will only make matters worse.
2. No Guarantee - This vote will not necessarily "save the farm." Even if the zoning passes, there's no guarantee that the Bison farm will continue to exist. Residents have asked for restrictions on development of the front and rear parcels, but the landowners have declined, preferring to leave their future options open.
3. Long Range Plan - We've invested $20,000 of town money, and $40,000 in state and local grants, in a Long-Range Planning process to figure out what kind of development is best for Hadley, and where it should take place. Why not wait less than a year to see what our Long Range Planning committee recommends, and act on what's best for the town, rather than what's best for a giant corporation?
4. Setting a Precedent - Rezoning could encourage other landowners on Route 9 to seek more zoning changes. Eventually, we might have cold, lifeless big box stores from the bikeway to the Amherst line. As one person said at the last Town meeting, "I don't want to have to go through this every Town Meeting for the rest of my life." This will be our third rezone vote in less than five months, on the same piece of property!

The Money

There are lots of other reasons to vote "no." The developer's offer to give the town $150,000 for agricultural land protection seems inadequate to many of us who oppose the rezone. That amount of money will protect only 7.5 - 15 acres of farmland, depending on the price of the land. This does not even replace the amount of farmland lost on Route 9, and does little to address Hadley's long-term need to protect our unique and invaluable soils for future generations. In a deal that is surely worth millions of dollars, we believe the developer can do better than $150,000. We think it's time for Hadley to start asking for something back from large, out-of-state developers. The "gift" from the developer to the town, $150,000, is significantly less than the "gift" the town would make to the landowner by rezoning the land. (Rezoning land from agricultural to commercial can increase its value from $20,000 to as much $1,000,000 an acre*--so in this case, a "gift" to the landowner of millions.)

Can it be Built?

Some people question whether a Lowe's can really be built on the smaller front parcel, and are voting "no" in an effort to prevent this giant "big box" from coming to the site at all. Those who question whether the Lowe's can be built on the front parcel have noted that the plans that were shown to us at the October town meeting don't even come close to meeting zoning. The plan we were shown does not have adequate parking, open space, or space for stormwater detention. These people would like to see a plan that meets current zoning requirements before being satisfied that "Plan A" and "Plan B" are the only options for the site. And many people just don't like being bullied by an out of town corporation.

Vote at the Special Town Meeting

On Saturday, January 17, 2004, at 1. p.m., a vote at the Special Town Meeting on rezoning a portion of the Bison Farm will shape the future of our town for many years. Please mark your calendars and come to Hopkins Academy for this critical vote.

Sincerely, Many of Your Neighbors

* There is currently a one acre parcel at 322 Russell Street on sale for 1 million dollars.

About Hadley Neighbors for Sensible Development

Hadley Neighbors for Sensible Development (HNSD) is a group of Hadley residents concerned about Hadley's future. Like many small towns across the U.S., Hadley is experiencing severe development pressures that threaten the infrastructure and character of our town. HNSD believes that democratic participation can create fair solutions to these challenges, and create revenue generating development that maintains Hadley's character and respects its planning goals while protecting our precious farmland.