The town has recently made an effort to answer some of the questions residents have had concerning Dollar Tree's approval process, including questions regarding the perception that town officials were eager to move the company's application through town commissions at an accelerated pace.
The town manager's office compiled a timeline of approved applications for projects receiving tax abatements, providinga detailed summary of commission meetings concerning ING, Walgreens, The Hartford, Emhart and Dollar Tree.
The following table shows the length of time it took the economic development commission and town council to review and approve each company's abatement application:
Application Date Economic Development Meeting Town Council Approval No. of days from receipt to approval Walgreens Jan. 20, 2006 Feb. 8, 2006 March 6, 2006 45 ING March 3, 2006 March 15, 2006 May 1, 2006 59 Emhart Glass Nov. 30, 2006 Nov. 29, 2006 Dec. 18, 2006 28 Hartford Life Jan. 16, 2007 Jan. 24, 2007 Feb. 20, 2007 35 Dollar Tree Feb. 7, 2012 Feb. 23, 2012 March 19, 2012 41 Average No. of days 41.6 Median No. of days 41The information compiled shows the town's consistent practice of providing a schedule of meetings that is beneficial to companies looking to establish a home in Windsor, and begin operations as soon as possible.
The consistency is also apparent in the timespan between the submission of the companies' applications to the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission and the Town Planning and Zoning Commission, and when those applications were approved:
- ING - 40 days
- Walgreens - 46 days
- The Hartford - 40 days
- Emhart - 38 days
- Dollar Tree - 88 days (32 days between application date and earliest possible approval date)
Dollar Tree's approval process was obviously prolonged by petitions filed by residents and their opposition to the project during meetings, which caused the item to be continued over multiple meetings of the IWWC and TPZC.
