Scenic Connecticut: Warehouses and trucks?

Don Stacom’s article raises a great question for Connecticut.

Rural towns such as Ashford are becoming top targets for developers with wellfunded teams front-running for Amazon.

The change in business models from companies such as Amazon, with the promise of jobs and new taxes, should not be the primary factor for changes to our zoning laws. Never mind about tax incentives they ask for from the town and state. It’s a deal with the devil that never works out for residents.

In other states where it started eight to 10 years ago, they are now stuck with huge facilities, low-paying jobs, increased truck traffic, pollution, noise, crime and more. Governments and town expenses grew and residents saw little to no benefits in the end.

These warehouses don’t house a cure for cancer, new renewable energy or breakthroughs in science or technology. We still buy the same amount of toothpaste, appliances, electronics, clothing, and snacks … it is now just trucked around the state and stored in mega warehouses, then sorted and trucked to other mega warehouses and eventually into vans to consumers in fresh cardboard boxes. The jobs are not new; they are just cannibalized from other trucking and warehouse companies, small businesses, supermarkets and box stores.

Connecticut is a beautiful state with lots to offer. Do you want to live in a town or state that is full of warehouses the size of 20 Titanics with 24/7, high-scale, non-stop trucking on the highways and local roads, and low-paying jobs?

How about in 10 or 20 years? I certainly don’t.

Blake A. Will, Ashford