Editorial: Enfield’s Revised Blight Ordinance Isn’t Ready for a Public Hearing

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  AI generated art via ChatGPT The Enfield Town Council tonight may set a public hearing date for a revised blight ordinance. In its current form, this proposal is not ready for public hearing and needs significant changes before moving forward. Anonymous Complaints While the ordinance itself still requires signed complaints, Enfield’s revised blight complaint form explicitly accepts anonymous complaints and signals that they may still be investigated. That represents a clear shift from the town’s prior policy, which discouraged anonymous filings and stated that the town was not required to investigate them. Historically, Enfield’s practice has been to reject anonymous complaints. For example, on SeeClickFix — the town’s reporting platform — a town official wrote in response to one blight complaint: “All complaints require a signature. Currently this complaint is showing anonymous. Please add your full name and contact information to this complaint.” That was the standard approach...

Amazon Buys Bacon Road Site for $20 Million

 

Amazon stock art image available on its news media resources page


Amazon has purchased a Bacon Road site in Enfield approved for warehouse development, for $20 million, according to a town official. Public records confirm the sale.

The transaction took place on April 23. Lauren Whitten, Enfield’s director of planning, informed the Planning and Zoning Commission of the sale of 35 Bacon Rd., at its regular meeting on April 24.

"As far as we know, things are going to progress as they were approved," Whitten told commissioners during the meeting. (See PZC YouTube April 24 at approximately 2:58)

But it is not definitively clear how much land Amazon has acquired. Public records show “two parcels,” but do not specify whether the purchase covers the full 181-acre development area. Amazon and Winstanley Enterprises were not immediately available for comment.

The site is where Winstanley Enterprises had proposed an 819,000-square-foot distribution warehouse. Amazon purchased the land from WE Enfield Industrial LLC, a Winstanley affiliate, according to public records. Winstanley lists Amazon as a client on its website and has collaborated with the company on other projects.

The warehouse project was approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission in March 2022.

Amazon's specific plans for the property remain unknown. Amazon typically builds fulfillment centers, or warehouses. It also creates sortation centers where package orders are sorted for delivery, and fresh warehouses or distribution sites for groceries, among other uses.