Three historic buildings in downtown Glastonbury are up for demolition by HB Nitkin, a Greenwich based real estate developer who is insistent on demolishing the former Curtis Hotel (2277-2289 Main St, the former Kamins department store, and the building between Daybreak Coffee and the Wells-Turner Library).

Throughout the past decade, downtown Glastonbury has seen a significant increase in new construction, primarily retail and apartments. Several unique and historic properties have already been destroyed to make way for new strip malls/“retail centers” that sit fully or partially vacant. Anyone who resides in Glastonbury can see the vacant storefronts in places like Somerset Square, Eric Square, and Griswold Mall on the corner of Main St and Griswold St and new buildings like the one that was home to PetValu and Firehouse Subs or Hartford Baking.

Is yet another new retail development really necessary, especially at the expense of three buildings with a rich history that have stood in our town for over 150 years? With BlueBack Square and Evergreen Walk within a half hour drive of Glastonbury and the recent statistics citing the decline in traffic in brick and mortar stores, why do we need another strip mall? While housing in Glastonbury is an issue, two large complexes were built within the last 5 years (Glastonbury Place and The Tannery) as well as a smaller development downtown on Nabuc Avenue. Are they all at maximum capacity at this time? Is our town infrastructure, especially in the historic district, capable of handling the significant increase in traffic a development like the one that is proposed will bring? Towns throughout central Connecticut (i.e: Wethersfield, Manchester, Middletown, and New Britain are ones that come to mind along with countless shoreline communities) have managed to incorporate some of the oldest buildings on their Main Streets into vibrant businesses, storefronts, restaurants and homes, why can’t the developers of this project do the same?

These are questions we need to ask as residents before we lose vital pieces of our history and the “New England charm” that draw so many to visit and live in Glastonbury is gone for good. Please sign this petition if you believe the town of Glastonbury does not need any new commercial/retail developments in or near our town’s beautiful historic district.