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Bad Neighbors Now

At the second meeting to present the U-Haul’s revised plan to residents of Guilford, Economic Development Coordinator Brian McGlone argued that U-Haul would fit in just fine on the site directly across from our two hotels, Tower Inn and Comfort Inn, because so much in the area is already ugly. What kind of argument is that? Is he blind to our side of the street?

When we renovated the decrepit old motels on the property, the town required us to make many improvements. We spent more than $120,000 on beautiful landscaping, which we maintain. Our lighting is discreet. We have made every effort to make our business, which is also our home, attractive, and we make continual improvements. Our neighbors do not resent our presence. We contribute to the town.

But now we might face the biggest, ugliest building in Guilford, which will have more than 50 trucks parked on site. The three floors will be lit all day and night, with orange doors to storage rental units visible to everyone. As it is now, U-Haul trucks and vans are parked all over the place, and there are tacky signs and horrible lights around the building. The parking lot is crumbling. Cones and ropes close off the Tanner Marsh Road entry. They have made the site look even uglier than it looked before. Why should we believe they will maintain the property in the future if they haven’t bothered to now? If they’re bad neighbors now, disrespecting everyone around them, why should we believe they’ll be good neighbors later?

We ask the Planning & Zoning Commission not to approve the U-Haul plan and wait for a better buyer for the property—someone who fits into our section of town and adds value to the community.

Yogesh and Sonal Patel

Guilford