Many residents and property owners from the city’s Parkville neighborhood turned up at the city council meeting Monday to speak out against a proposal to sell city land for the purpose of creating a Stop & Shop gas station. The half-acre vacant lot is located at the intersection of New Park Avenue and Francis Court. Stephen Nemeth of Newton Street summed up the crowd’s message: “We have a wonderful neighborhood. We do not need another gas station. Please don’t put a gas station there.”
The sentiment is not new. The proposal was raised last spring and ended up being tabled twice by the council because of neighborhood opposition. But Council President Shawn Wooden said Monday that the panel is entertaining the plan again because no other development proposals have come in.
“We thought, at least let’s give it more time for alternative proposals to come forward that the community would embrace,” Wooden said. “But I have yet to see anything.”
Neighborhood residents expressed a desire to see a walk-in medical clinic, a doctor’s office or even elderly housing built on the site.
Forty people signed a petition to stop the gas station’s development. It was submitted to the council Monday.
The petition reads: “There are six gas stations within a mile of this location. We do not need another in such a busy neighborhood. The city should not permit more underground oil storage tanks in this area, where the CT Fastrak hopes to cut reliance on cars. The city of Hartford should find a different development for this parcel.”
You can view the petition here: Gas Station Opposition
A public hearing on the land-sale proposal will be held on Jan. 22, 7 p.m., at city hall (550 Main St).
Please consider sharing this article!
- -- ADVERTISEMENT --
-- ADVERTISEMENT --