To the editor,
Early in March, I happened upon a stick in my yard with a paper wrapped around it. I picked it up to read a note that said, “The owners of 114 Clark Hill Road in Prospect want to have their residential property changed to commercial.” I couldn’t believe what I saw. It brought to mind a song written by Joni Mitchell, “Big Yellow Taxi,” which has a line that says, “They paved paradise to put up a parking lot.” Prospect residents need to wake up, look around and observe. Prospect, once called the “greatest little small town in Connecticut,” is becoming a parking lot.
Townspeople should make time to voice their opinion in front of the Planning and Zoning Commission, Wednesday, April 18, at 7 p.m. during a public hearing on an application to change the zone of 114 Clark Hill Road from residential to commercial. If this property changes to a commercial lot, that’s exactly what this town will be, a parking lot.
Keep in mind, Clark Hill Road once was one of the most rural, residential areas in Prospect. Prospect still has commercial property available for production; therefore, my suggestion is for Linda and Greg Ploski, the owners of the property, to build there if they plan to build.
And, don’t be fooled into thinking that 114 Clark Hill Road is too small for a business. What will happen if that turns commercial is, if the property is sold, the person who buys the land could buy adjoining properties and seek to change that area to commercial too.
How much more time are the people of Prospect willing to wait in traffic to go to or return from work, or get their children to sporting events on Route 69 or Talmadge Hill Road.
Though it appears there’s a conflict of interest since Greg Ploski is a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, and residents may not feel like they have a voice, we do. But we don’t, if we don’t show up and make it known on Wednesday, April 18.
I grew up in what was and I hope stays “The Greatest Little Small Town in Connecticut,” and may I add one of the most beautiful.
Bonnie Casertano
Prospect
