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A Giant Billboard

I recommend against a special permit for U-Haul’s project for Route One in Guilford. The architect’s drawings are misleading because the elevations do not show either lighting or parked cars and trucks. I appreciate the work of the Design Review Committee to tone down the original proposal, but the scale of the structure does not accord with the goals of the Plan for Conservation and Development for Guilford. This proposed U-Haul, on a significant hilltop location, with additional filled land, will loom. The illuminated buildings and the trucks lined up outside them will function as a giant billboard at the highest point on Route One in Guilford.

There are very few jobs on a self-storage site. Self-storage—under the developer nickname “ground cover”—is often a way for owners of sites to gain some income while waiting to propose commercial projects with even more density.

A “Yes” vote would signal automobile and truck-oriented corporations that they and the traffic they generate are welcome here. When the town turned down Costco as inappropriate that message was negative. U-Haul would change this. Commercial property up and down Route One would be in play.

Guilford can do better by calming traffic and moderating the effect of existing bad commercial buildings, not by introducing over-scale new ones. Residents have asked for more sidewalks, better pedestrian and bike access to town, and improvement of a dangerous intersection at the angle of Route One with Route 146. Why introduce more truck traffic right here? And why do a new project without trees?

I suggest Guilford increase its enforcement of zoning and building regulations on commercial property, including height limits, setbacks, signage, and lighting. And that no special permit be approved for a problematic project.

Dolores Hayden

Guilford