The Wrong Direction
Guilford is regretfully moving in the wrong direction regarding development regulations and our affordable housing needs.
One major example: Hubbard Road Affordable Housing Project. The plan is already approved, and the site already cleared. It’s situated across from the school bus depot and Safety Zone factory. The plan calls for 100 identical single-bedroom apartments in two four-story buildings. The two buildings will be close to each other in this industrial zone, just one mile north of our historic Town Green. There will be acres of blacktop parking, with virtually no trees or greenspace for future tenants. The extreme residential density planned would not be permitted in any Guilford residential zone and has never been permitted in Guilford before. I ask everyone to ride by this site and imagine how it would look and feel if the plan is realized.
A mistake for all of us: Guilford, one of the oldest and most beautiful towns in the state, known for its town green, shoreline, agricultural history, and more, would now have these four-story high apartment projects as the most visible town landmark for everyone looking north from I-95. This sets a precedent that is not Guilford nor what it should be.
This is not an argument against affordable housing. To the contrary, it is an argument in favor of affordable housing that fits the character of our community. Integrated and thoughtful development in keeping with the character of Guilford.
Guilford Planning and Zoning Commission Public Meetings are held on the first and third Wednesday of every month at 7:30 pm Nathanael B. Greene Community Center.
Kenneth Myles
Guilford