Pittsfield Council Wants Public Forum On Walmart Proposal
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council wants a chance to ask the proponents of a new Walmart at the William Stanley Business Park some questions.
However, the council needs another organization to host a discussion to avoid legal conflicts. So, the councilors agreed to ask the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority to host one with the developer Waterstone Realty in the City Council chambers.
"I really think this is going to be such a huge, huge discussion and impact that we need to be clear looking forward about what we are looking to get and to do," Councilor at Large Melissa Mazzeo said.
Mazzeo had petitioned the council to hold a discussion. But the council will be the granting authority of a special permit and already needs to hold a public hearing. That determination to grant to deny a special permit must be based on the public hearing's findings and not another source. Should the council approve or deny the permit based on what is heard at a different hearing, then it opens up a legal loophole to appeal the decision.
"Our decision when it gets to us will be a hearing regarding the special permit for a shopping center over 100,000 square feet," Council President Peter Marchetti said, voicing his concern that hosting a separate meeting could jeopardize the legal ruling on whatever decision the council makes.
Another issue with hosting such an event is that currently there is no proposal. Waterstone Realty has been given the go-ahead to pursue permitting for the new shopping center on the park but hasn't submitted any applications as of yet. The plan will have to go through multiple layers of approvals before reaching the council.
"To me the opening salvo is that first proposal. That's when it all starts," Council Vice President John Krol said. "Let's keep this out of the council's realm until it is our time."
Mazzeo, however, doesn't want to wait. She said the developer has held an open house and has been campaigning for public support. She said by the time it gets before the council, the majority of the public will have already made up their minds on the project — opinions that could be based on misinformation or with unanswered questions, she said.
"I feel we are allowing them to discuss everything out in the public with everybody and get everybody on board," she said. "I feel like at that point if there has been misinformation, too many people have listened to it and have formed their opinion already."
Mazzeo has gone on record opposing the project and says she has a number of questions the developer has not answered.
A similar session was held in 2013 when Waterstone had started pursuit of what was then a project for an unnamed retailer. Waterstone has returned with essentially the same proposal as then, only this time naming the company. The plan is for a $30 million construction of a new 190,000 square-foot Walmart Supercenter on a 16.5-acre parcel known as the "teens."
The forum in 2013 drew a large crowd with an estimated two-thirds opposing the use of retail at the business park. Despite not having a formal proposal before city officials, Mazzeo said the plans have already been crafted so there is no reason why the company couldn't discuss it now.
"They know exactly what they are doing and we are all waiting for the information. The sooner we get it, the better informed we are going to be," she said.
Meanwhile, Councilors Lisa Tully and Kevin Morandi, representing Wards 1 and 2, have already planned a community meeting with the developer on Sept. 19 at Morningside School. Tully said while the meeting is being put on by the two wards, it is open to the everybody.
"We want to hear the pros and cons," Morandi said, adding that the two may be looking to hold another meeting with representatives from communities that have had a bad experience with the retail giant.
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Tags: PEDA, Walmart,
