It’s over — finally! But is it?
When you truly believe in your message, it’s hard to admit defeat. But after years of sitting back waiting for the resolution of the appeal of the Greenfield Planning Board’s big box store special permit, I’ve heard a lot of the same questions. Why didn’t our votes matter? When were/ are we going to get some tax relief? And why is there so little foot traffic downtown without a that big box store present?
I’ve been in the middle of this discussion for 25 years, and I remember saying back then that the dollars leaving Greenfield were huge. Revenue that was not just relegated to shopping. We’re talking about money spent on entertainment, car sales, gas and groceries in other towns which could have been spent here.
The good news is there are still many folks who remain invested in shopping locally. Yet. every month it seems, we lose, sometimes to other communities with, pardon the pun, “greener pastures” developmentally speaking.
Some people don’t care which store comes in, but I do. If it’s not Walmart, fine. If it’s three to five other stores, I’d be extremely happy. What I most want to see is the message sent that Greenfield is “open for business.” We have far too many empty storefronts, which helps no one, least of all existing business owners who know best how to operate. We want to give them a chance to grow, and that can’t happen without new people coming into town.
The argument has always been that a big-box retail store outside downtown will destroy our downtown. That’s always been the scare tactic, even though there’s no real proof that would happen for us. Ames and Rich’s existed and downtown not only survived but thrived. A reality opponents of a third commercial district tend to ignore.
Another thing the Al Normans of the world would have you forget is that the people of this community overwhelmingly voted for this store, both at the polls and with their wallet, which they took with them to Hadley, Hinsdale, or anywhere else which offered the items they need at a price they can afford.
For almost a generation, we’ve told hard-working families that, if they want to shop in Greenfield, they can only do so at a couple of locally owned stores. So they left, and to this day, I still meet people new to the area who move here for various reasons who don’t understand why there is no discount store to balance out all we have to offer. And others, myself included, thought something would be built by now, but it hasn’t.
Now, it would seem, this ruling has opened the door for that, at a time when the landscape has shifted once again. New train routes will make it easier for people to work elsewhere but still come home every night. This would also bring in new visitors to eat at our great restaurants, take in the music, or shop in our stores. That’s new opportunity right there.
New dollars could also reduce the burden on our existing businesses. I’m not sure people realize how many times our local businesses are asked to donate to local sports teams, golf tournaments, GCC, YMCA, Big Brother Big sister, Literacy Project, etc. We owe it to them to do whatever we can to keep them sustainable.
Let’s also not forget how this big-box battle has damaged our city economically. It’s estimated that Greenfield has lost over a million dollars in revenue during this appeal, between lost taxes and revenue from the store itself to legal fees incurred to defend the city’s position in court. Then there is the perception issue. How many businesses do you suppose have been scared away by this seemingly never ending battle? My guess is, quite a few, and that problem will continue as long as developers view Greenfield as an unfriendly and difficult place to do business.
I know there are still people who feel strongly about this kind of development, but it’s time to stop living in the pastas we watch the dollar stores creep in. As a city councilor, I’m “all in” when it comes to doing whatever it takes to make this city successful, especially its downtown. My question is, what are you willing to do to help stop millions of dollars from leaving Greenfield?
I very much look forward to hearing your response.
Penny Ricketts is the vice-president of the Greenfield City Council. She can be reached at penrick1960@yahoo.com.