An email — asking recipients to circulate a petition opposing the proposed Tesla service center and/or dealership on Saugatuck Avenue — is making its way around town.
Click here for background info, provided in the email’s link to a website called SaveSaugatuck.org.
20 Saugatuck Avenue — site of the proposed Tesla facility.
The email itself says:
If you don’t live in Saugatuck, you may not have heard – but Tesla has proposed to open a dealership/service center/charging station in the vacant space at 20 Saugatuck Ave – they are looking to change zoning to do so.
Reaching out to see if you’d be willing to sign and help gather some signatures from your neighbors/friends for a petition to help prevent Tesla from changing the zoning in a way that would allow them to open a dealership right in the middle of the neighborhood. The zoning board votes on the proposal May 18th – so we need as many signatures by then as possible.
Wouldn’t want to presume we all feel the same way about this but think it would be bad for the neighborhood to have a busy dealership creating traffic on Saugatuck Avenue, an already congested area. There is also concern around cars being test-driven on local streets like Sunrise and Treadwell, as we love how walkable the neighborhood is and feel like it’ll be a safety concern having people driving cars they’re unfamiliar with on our streets–especially ones that go from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds.
We’d love to have a Tesla dealership in town, just up on the Post Rd where the other dealers are, just not in Saugatuck.
Without taking a position one way or the other on Tesla’s Saugatuck proposal, here’s my question:
What do residents of Greens Farms — where potential Maserati owners test drive those vehicles, often going 0 to 60 in 3 seconds — think?
Taking a Maserati out for a test drive.
Tesla is a trendy up-and-coming car. Saugatuck is a trendy up-and-coming (again) neighborhood. Seems like a great fit to me. The cars are virtually silent. I wouldn’t anticipate much traffic associated with the dealership that sells cars for between 35,000 and 150,000 dollars. And they go from 0 to 60 a lot faster than a Maserati.
NOT IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD !!!!! lol at least there will be no noise from engins
Tesla Model S P100D ‘Ludicrous Speed’ Upgrade 0-60 mph 2.4
Tesla Model X P100D ‘Ludicrous Speed’ Upgrade 0-60 mph 2.8
Tesla Model S P100D ‘Ludicrous Plus’ Upgrade 0-60 mph 2.3
Hi Dan – as a resident of Greens Farms who is frequently and aggressively tailgated by (crazy lunatic) people in sports cars who seem to feel the need to go 60 on a 25MPH road, my thought is this: I don’t mind the dealerships as such — I think that’s fine and probably good for the economy. But isn’t there a way to tell them they have to do the test drives on the highway? Or that speed limits MUST be obeyed on local streets? Part of the problem lies in the whole idea that anyone would WANT a car like that (at those prices) to drive on 25mph roads. It’s like wearing 6 inch Jimmy Choos to go to Stop N Shop — it just doesn’t make sense, and you can really get hurt!
Tesla’s stock closed yesterday at 325.22 dollars a share. It makes no money. It lost $2.92 dollars a share last year, and is projected to lose money this year and next year. You might not have to worry about it being in your back yard. The good news is, it isn’t as bad as Snap Chat that is losing a billion dollars a month!
Ahh, gotta love Business… Taking a loss, and their Market Cap is still higher than Ford.
Willing to wager this Email isn’t from local, concerned citizens At All… But from the CT Auto Dealers who are worrying their free pass to take all the profits they can from car buyers might be at risk if the State relents on letting Manufacturers direct sell.
If Idiots test driving (uselessly) fast cars are driving them fast on local roads, then Westport’s Finest can have a little chat with the dealers, and give hand-written invitations to traffic court for the offenders.
I can vouch that the email came from a local citizen.
This points out a major flaw in the way Westport and local communities regulate commerce:
Why on earth should a building owner need to get zoning permission to switch from one type of retail use to another? Isn’t this the prerogative of the landlord and tenant, vs. a town board
I would argue that putting typical retail tenants — say, a CVS, a Starbucks and a liquor store — would generate several times the traffic and parking demand of a Tesla store, which, after all, serves just a handful of wealthy customers.
Why not regulate based on more legitimate issues like parking, traffic flow. pedestrian safety and environmental hazard? Doing so would not simply prevent unnecessary cost and delays for businesses that already feel pressure to avoid our state — it would also prevent parking nightmares like the Post Road East Starbucks (both old and new.)
Doing so quite possibly could have saved at least one life: a patron of the dangerously-located Shake Shack who was stuck and killed attempting to get to the trendy burger bar after parking across the street in the Home Goods lot.
There is a legitimate zoning concern here for residential neighbors.
The subject property is located within a Restricted Office Retail District zone (RORD). This special transitional zone is intended conserve the residential character of the area and mitigate the often adverse effects that certain kinds of commercial activity can have on abutting residential neighbors.
The RORD regs cover intensity of use, scale and (ahem) front setbacks.
Among the prohibited uses in RORD : “automobile service establishment” and “establishment or dealer for new or used motor vehicles”.
Westport’s RORD zones are there for a reason. Possibly moving the goalposts on residents who count on those regs to safeguard their property values and quality of life is not something to be taken lightly.
I see the point, but you got to admit that zoning has failed to preserve residential character on Riverside and Saugatuck Aves. Zoners permitted the massive string of MCA office buildings along the river, a bunch of former residences converted to office use and — to top it off — a grandfathered auto body shop that appears to use Riverside Ave as its overflow parking lot.
I guess those in Saugatuck forget that there was a Volkswagen dealership at what is now Westport Auction and was the Saugatuck Post Office. My dad bought his “bug” there. What’s old is new. As for Tesla, I would guess it would only be sales, as they have a major service facility in Milford (solving some of the NIMBY already).
As to financials, Elon’s cars may not be fully profitable, but neither was Jeff Bezo’s little online marketing adventure called Amazon, when they first started (and for about 10 years).
Matt — Are you sure VW was ever there? I remember it as being Hackett Imported Cars, where MY dad bought our [amazingly unreliable] Triumph Herald. The VW place was called Small Car Company, and it was located on Post Rd. West, now a classic car consignment shop.
I’m pretty sure. VW then moved to what is now Dragone, which was the Saab dealership. I forgot the name Hackett. I wonder if that’s where my dad got his 356 Porsche (he said it spent more time in the shop than in his hands). 🙂
As a Saugatuck resident, I think we should fully welcome Tesla. I’m not an owner and have no connection with the company whatsoever, but I am thoroughly impressed with their organization and innovative sprit. Let’s work with them on this. Neighborhood sidewalks need to be improved and the I-95 on/off ramp / Saugatuck Avenue area is an eyesore. Certainly not the nicest gateway to the neighborhood or Westport in general.They are an employer, a taxpayer and could be a good corporate citizen. Let’s work with them on this. Let’s ask them to contribute to the betterment of the area, especially as their first place of business in the State of CT!
Regarding comments above. Let’s consider that there are no emissions from these vehicles. They are 100% electric. Regarding speed, yes they go fast, but speed limits are posted accordingly and they are already enforced. Regarding Tesla’s profits, most earlier stage businesses are funded through equity investors who believe in a businesses future. People believe in Tesla so much that they are now worth more than GM and Ford.Pretty impressive for a company founded less than 15 years ago. Again, let’s give these innovators a chance. Likely that they will bring more local service businesses to the neighborhood, like a pharmacy/convenience store. And how nice would that be?
When people wonder how it is that developers came to run Westport, all you need to do is say this:
“We asked them to.”
And then point out that the town is unwittingly encouraging this corrosive situation in Saugatuck with the regrettable Transit Oriented Development study – an initiative whose principle objective is to greatly increase density while buying off credulous stakeholders with shiny urban stuff.
I am sharing these facts personally as a Tesla owner – not in my official capacity as Selectman.
1) Westport Tesla ownership is by far the highest per capita in Connecticut. We have 116 Teslas as of February.
2) the 0-60 in 3 seconds is only available in a small percentage of Teslas.
3) Teslas actually have “autopilot” capabilities that reduce driver fatigue and improve safety. When activated, the system restricts the vehicle speed on local roads to 5 MPH over the speed limit.
4) these are Sedans and small SUVs – not sports cars.
5) they have zero emissions and are silent.
6) the new Model 3 will retail at around $35,000.
A general market car, by Tesla, is still a few years away! The generation III vehicle, in conjunction with a charging network, does hold tremendous promise, just like the Polaroid camera changed photography!
Dan, Where do I sign the petition. I live on Riverside and have enough issues with traffic, I don’t need more from a car dealership; no matter how quite the car is.
Dan:
Appreciate attention to the issue. I’m not a “car guy.” Actually dread the car replacement process. But boy do I feel like the Tesla was the right choice. Not using gas, quiet, safety features feel stronger than out other cars and SUVs that I own. But I had to buy it out of N.J. Would rather “buy local!” As a long time resident/commuter of Westport, I remember the traffic in Saugatuck years ago. Teslas driving around are not the problem….
Matt Burris
It’s in the link in the 2nd paragraph. Here it is again: http://www.savesaugatuck.org
I do not live within earshot of the Maserati dealership, thankfully! However, as exciting as those guttural exhaust sounds may be, there is many a time when one of them has passed me at a high rate of speed on RT 1; they are a hazard and noisy to boot! This is especially of concern while waiting at the light at the connector which is such a heavily congested intersection.
Now the Teslas are virtually silent, however does that make the drivers any less aggressive? I actually wonder if the silence will cause unfamiliar Tesla drivers to go too fast, not realizing that no noise does not equate to no speed! Test drives at the proposed Tesla site in Saugatuck will be an issue in any event. They can not count on using 95 as typically one direction or another is backed up! Should they go down or up an exit during busy times they will still need to return to the dealership via the local streets. I think that added traffic of overly zealous Tesla lookers is a really bad fit in our already congested Saugatuck.
It is my understanding that this will be the first dealership in Connecticut, and with the introduction of the new “affordable” Tesla model, I think there will be a lot more traffic than folks are currently anticipating.
Elon Musk has money and unfortunately with that comes influence… I certainly hope our town leadership is sensible enough to see what a disaster this will be for our little township of Saugatuck!
A market on Saugatuck would be great and SO needed. And anything to help with the traffic would be wonderful! What if anything is happening to the large redone building on Riverside? What a perfect location for the Fresh Market.
I don’t live in Saugatuck, but I stand with the neighbors. This is simply not a good location for a service station or dealership. While Tesla owners like Avi Kaner may like the convenience, it is not fair to the ask the neighbors (or commuters who need to get to and from the RR station) to bear the brunt of the added congestion. And keep in mind that a car dealership that caters to fancy sports cars, many of which will be owned by out-of-towners, is a very different animal from a neighborhood market, which would attract a local clientele. There is a reason that our zoning regulations currently do not permit dealerships or service stations in residential neighborhoods.
If you can drive six miles for an ice cream at Dairy Queen, or go to your favorite restaurant, why can’t you drive that distance to buy a $150,000 dollar car?
If it wasn’t Tesla but instead a local supermarket, a florist, a phamacy etc. would there be objections? If they sold toy cars and were as popular the traffic would be the same – a customer can only drive one car at a time. So are the objections about the brand or any new business coming to that store?
Locals are funny in wanting this kind of store or that, but retailing and real estate are private enterprises that make their own business choices. Personally I would like a neighborhood grocery and a pizzeria (and not one that sells $16 glasses of wine like Tarry Lodge), but given the way Westport is going, that’s not likely to happen.
Is there a petition we can sign to encourage town boards to expedite approvals to bring Tesla to Saugatuck? I suspect there are many more residents in favor of this idea than opposed, given that this will be a very quiet use of the property with much less traffic than prior retail uses at this building and other potential tenants. Bringing Tesla to Saugatuck will also meet real needs of Westport residents who have the largest electric car club in the State and the largest number of Tesla registrations per capita. It will also help move Westport to a more sustainable economy with reduced environmental impacts in keeping with Westport Green Task Force objectives.
I’m all for it. Bring Tesla to Westport!!
If residents are concerned about traffic from a Tesla service center they should visit the Tesla location in Milford. I have never seen more than 3 customers there at one time – which compares very favorably to the hundreds of hourly visitors that used to queue up at the post office, AAA office and gym that used to be at this location. Be careful what you wish for and do your due diligence before taking a position. The next proposal (which wouldn’t require a change in zoning regs) could be the return of a gym, AAA office and post office.
Bruce – Speaking of due diligence and taking a position, aren’t you a paid consultant working with Barton Partners on the town’s Transit Oriented Development Master Plan for Saugatuck?
Is Bruce being paid to advocate this zoning change?
Werner
No I am not being paid by anyone – Sorry about the confusion related to the fact that I did pursue a role on the TOD plan with Barton but ended up not on their team. I am the Bruce R Becker that was part of their initial proposal however. For those of you who don’t share my passion for Tesla you can be relieved that there is only one of me. 🙂
Glad to hear it. Would be happier to hear that your concern for the integrity of our zoning regulations and the quality of life of residents of Saugatuck outweighed your passion for luxury class technology.
Actually I am not and have never been a paid consultant – although I was in the running for that role.
Morley – I am curious what use you would envision and prefer as an alternative to a Tesla service center that would not have negative traffic impacts. Can you suggest some?
Thanks for clarifying, Bruce – the press accounts from January 24 and 27 Westport NOW articles on the Saugatuck TOD mentions a Bruce R. Becker of Westport as being a part of the TOD team. Guess you must be a different Bruce Becker….
In answer to your question, the possible traffic impact of the proposed use is immaterial. The use is not permitted in a RORD for particular reasons . Period.
I would prefer that the existing RORD zoning regs – which are there to safeguard residents – simply be upheld. There’s a whole list of non-permitted uses in RORD. I would suggest that a good start would be NOT selecting one of those uses.
Whoa Bruce, you havent shared your conflict of interest here! Very troubling in that it isnt even the appearance of a conflict it is an outright conflict. You are a paid consultant for the Town thru the TOD Grant advising the Town on potential ways to develop the Saugatuck Neighborhood and you are taking a public position here without even disclosing your conflict? As a member of the RTM and as a town resident your actions here make me very uncomfortable.
John F. Suggs
RTM District 5
John
At one point I was expecting to be on the Barton team but ended up not being a participant. I am a Westport resident, professional planner and architect and member of the Westport Electric Car Club and own two electric cars one of which is a Tesla – perhaps those are conflicts but as Avi mentioned there are 116 Tesla owners who live in Westport and we should have a voice in this discussion. We can probably speak with more authority about how desirable this facility would be for the community compared to folks that have never visited a Tesla service center and seen how little traffic they draw. In the interest of full disclosure why arent the author of the petition and beautiful website willing to identify themselves?
Thanks for that clarification Bruce. I remembered seeing your name listed during the application process. As for your point about the author of the letter being named, I completely agree with you. Dan, shouldn’t this anonymous posting come under your no posting using a fake ID? I know I immediately started wondering who the author was – and even suspected that it might be a fellow RTM member – who, if it is, definitely has several conflicts concerning this issue and those conflicts should be publicly acknowledged. So Dan: What say you reveal who the author is? That information, in and of itself, will be helpful in understanding their point of view.
Thanks!
The email to me came from Lindsay Shurman. I do not know him or her.
Hi John (and others)- I’m the main creator of the website, with some helpful input from others. I live on Treadwell Avenue (the back of our property abuts this property) and I also happen to have a reservation to buy the more affordable Tesla when it’s available. I’d originally planned to publish the website along with an editorial early next week, but seems that the cat got a little out of the bag today while soliciting initial support–which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the discussion on this page has been good. You’re welcome to guess at my point of view given the facts above and the website; unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll have time to write out my thoughts in a coherent way before the weekend, but plan to share them here when I do (assuming Dan will publish them!) Best, Mark
Thanks, Mark. This is an important story, not just for Saugatuck but for all of Westport. I’ll keep posting if you (and others) will keep writing.
The zoning change proposed is to allow something vastly different from what is currently allowed under RORD zoning. If allowed it would (a) negatively affect residential property values in the Saugatuck area, (b) Promote the spread of commercial zoning into residential neighborhoods.
A residential property owner neighboring this (if passed) would have a pretty good argument for asking to be rezoned for commercial use.
The merits of Tesla are not the issue… the need to think through the consequences of zone change is the issue.
First I want to reinforce the statement made by Morley about the existing zone (RORD) and the “automotive service establishment” restriction. These zones have been established for a reason and the continual erosion of the quality of life in town can sometimes be attributed to the amendments made to them. I am not questioning that bringing Tesla to Westport can be a benefit, but there are more than likely other locations that would support locating a car dealership and not disrupt the zoning. Nor do I believe that the presence of a Tesla dealership will benefit immensely the immediate residents of Saugatuck. Are there that many Tesla car prospects in that neighborhood? I don’t want to speak for them but would it be better served by a supermarket or something else that aligns with the RORD zone designation?
Second since Dan posed the question about Maserati and it’s impact on Greens Farms here’s what we have experienced. Initially we registered a complaint about loud test drives being conducted on the local Greens Farms roads. It’s really hard to discern test drives vs those of existing owners of fast, noisy cars but there was a notable uptick when they opened. The Westport Police responded to our complaint by meeting with the dealership to encourage test drives on roads like the Sherwood Island Connector. It appeared to have an impact, but I readily admit it’s very hard to track. I get it that Tesla’s are quiet, (and Maserati’s are PURPOSELY designed to be noisy!), but to me it’s more about adhering to our zoning regulations and the purpose they were implemented for.
Art Schoeller
President
Greens Farms Association
This is an excellent and thoughtful discussion. For those worried about quality of life issues – imagine a future in Westport where you can live next to 95 without any automobile pollution and engine noises, and the negative health impacts of burning gasoline (which the American Lung Association say has a public cost of $18 per tankful.) If we don’t welcome Tesla to our communities, this will never happen. If we do it can.
See:
https://www.wired.com/2016/10/not-just-clean-air-electric-cars-can-save-us-billions/
http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20170219/forum-the-losing-race-against-tesla
So if we don’t throw our regs down the stairs and tell hapless residents who were silly enough to buy a house next to a RORD zone to go pound sand people will die?
Morley – over 100 people a year are in fact dying in Connecticut as a result of automobile emissions, so we do have a common need to diverge from business as usual to reduce those impacts. But the regs don’t need to be thrown out – just fine-tuned to reflect evolving needs and new technologies that don’t fit neatly into old categories. A Tesla renewable energy gallery and service center is more like an bicycle shop or Apple Store than a gas station or Ford Dealership – since there are no fumes, engine noises, high traffic volumes, car inventories or other negative environmental impacts which are normally associated with the prohibited uses. The regs allow “stores and shops where goods are sold and services are rendered primarily at retail” – I’d argue that Tesla fits more neatly into this category than that of automotive uses (some Tesla shops are located inside shopping malls). Identify what it is about typical car dealerships that you find objectionable, and strike a deal with Tesla to eliminate those features. They are a creative company and I suspect they will find a solution that works for the neighbors and still allows Westporters to join the transition to sustainable energy use.
Bruce, I appreciate your passion for and personal interest in this particular issue as it relates to this one particular address but you seemed to have possibly overlooked its broader implications.
What’s actually at issue here is whether or not our zoning regulations – in this case regulations specifically intended to preserve residential quality of life for families living nearby – actually mean something or not.
The average person in this town is obligated to adhere to our zoning regulations. It would not likely occur to them to pay a $600 filing fee, hire a land use attorney and produce a text amendment simply because they wanted that which the regulations did not permit.
As it happens, there are other restricted transitional zones in Westport – at least one of which is presently facing the same type of threat that the Saugatuck zone at issue is facing.
Do you see where I’m going with this?
If Tesla is as creative as you maintain, I’m confident it will have no difficulty locating a site for its dealership which complies with our zoning regulations.
People are worried about traffic but there used to be a fitness center and convenience store there. I’d think the traffic around those businesses must have been greater than what a Tesla dealership would bring. Also, Tesla dealerships tend to be sleek looking showrooms- I think it would fit nicely into the Saugatuck area. (Full disclosure – I own one of the 116)
I refuse to comment on what I think sitting on a massive load of lithium does to one’s thought processes I.E. driving a Tesla, but I know that’s passionate group of technology fetishists should not be changing zoning policy that directly impacts the value of residents’ property and potentially changes the quality of their lives. That is wrong.
Should be “that a”
The tail pipe for every electric car is at the electrical generation plant. They have emissions and some have nuclear waste. It is sometimes good to be pleased with your actions but simply put there is no free lunch,
Michael – agree with you that there’s no free lunch. However, not all lunches are equally healthful. In Westport itself, the emissions produced by cars burning fuel in town or on i-95 enter our air in Westport. Electric cars produce ZERO emissions. Besides burning fuel, think of the emissions produced by the refinery plants. Think about the emissions and traffic congestion produced by 18 wheeler tanker trucks that drive the fuel to every gas station in Westport (and the United States). Electricity is transmitted on power lines generating no pollution, no traffic, and no road wear.
Michael, not every EV’s tail pipe is at a traditional electric generation plant. Mine is on my roof, in the form of my solar panels. Now granted, those panels don’t supply all of my needs, but the amount they supply truly are emission free. Try doing that with an internal combustion engine – not going to happen!
A Tesla sales center (without service bays) would be much less of a traffic concern than just about anything else that could go in that space. I am all for it.
Funny – as I was entering my remarks that was my exact thought. (solar panels) but of course home based panels can also contribute. All of these concepts are exciting and a blessing for the future of our planet. My only point was that we are not totally off the hook with electric transportation. And as we point our fingers at ourselves for our internal combustion engines two cycle hand equipment used daily by millions spew out massive pollution, giant oil consuming barges ply the seas and thousands of airplanes circle the globe on a constant basis. And not to forget the fact that right here in our home town we take over a million gallons of water from our precious aquifers and send it through the sewer treatment plant and into long island sound instead of back to where it came from. I’ll stop here but it sure is a mess!
Plus the manufacturing of the batteries for the electrics and hybrids have a lot of residual waste. What if Tesla went into the Restaurant Jasmine/Green Parrot and/or TD bank? They should buy/lease the spaces. Patriot Bank owns the TD property, and they just closed their Trumbull branch. It’s “ripe for the pickins'”
Ct is in full melt down mode. We need t bring in all the solid biz we can
And stop feeling so self entitled or we r going to look like a war zone in 5 years !!!
It is amusing to watch a discussion of zoning regulations morph into a rant on manmade global warming.
Good to admit global warming is man made.
Once again, you are confused. Not surprising though is it? And you made my point, thanks.
No, not at all confused. Just making my own point. Thanks.
FWIW, Toyota, BMW, Total, are investing in production of cars that will run on hydrogen. They are smart to get Total and other gas/oil distributors involved, to supply said cars.
http://www.autonews.com/article/20170118/OEM05/170119785/5-automakers-form-hydrogen-alliance-with-energy-transport-giants
Toyota Motor Corp., BMW AG, Daimler AG, Honda Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co. are joining oil and gas giants including Royal Dutch Shell and Total SA with plans to invest a combined 10 billion euros ($10.7 billion) in hydrogen-related products within five years.
In all, 13 energy, transport and industrial companies are forming a hydrogen council to consult with policy makers and highlight its benefits to the public as the world seeks to switch from dirtier energy sources, according to a joint statement issued from Davos, Switzerland. The wager demonstrates that batteries aren’t the only way to reduce pollution from cars, homes and utilities that are contributing to climate change.
The other members are gas companies Air Liquide SA and Linde AG, miner Anglo American Plc, electric utility Engie SA, rail company Alstom SA and motorcycle and heavy equipment manufacturer Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.
Does anyone here care that this is our backyard, where they will have 5 garage doors opening and closing 7 AM till 7 PM 6 days a week? There will be all sorts of noise from the power tools used to service these cars, so that we will no longer be able to enjoy the luxury of sitting in our yard or having a window open.(Believe me the building isn’t soundproof!)
Sleeping in will be a Sunday Luxury, if that isn’t the day their lawn service is blowing the “residential” zoned back of the lot!!!—-
—– That the value of our home, where we have lived for 48 years, will depreciate?? That there may be piles of tires and refuse, as in Milford, where vermin could nest, since we already have a brook adjacent to the property.
If indeed, there are only 3 or 4 cars serviced now, that will surely increase along with sales. Then when sales are legal in Ct. this could be a dealership with a lot of activity.
Why should we have to worry about saving our homes and changing our lives, weren’t these zoning restrictions put there for a purpose, in the first place???
We thank the few like Morley Boyd who seem to understand, it’s not just about test driving………and the convenience of having your car serviced.
As an FYI, the Tesla service center lists on it’s web site that it is open Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. I think Tesla will only be doing sales at the Saugatuck location.
Sales are illegal in the state of Connecticut and this is suppose to be a service center.
I didn’t see anyone mention this yet, so just wanted to throw this out there:
As it currently stands, any Tesla building in CT is NOT a “dealership” due to state law that prevents manufacturers from selling directly to consumers, which is heavily defended by the state car dealers association. Tesla has been trying to change this, but until (if) it is changed, this means that they would *NOT* be able to:
-Perform any test drives
-Allow someone to purchase a Tesla vehicle there (or even discuss pricing)
So any potential complaints about people speeding 0-60 in 3 seconds during a test drive are null and void.
What? Tesla of all companies that sell cars is about preserving our environment!! they are ELECTRIC CARS!! quiet, nonpolluting, and clean! by the way 30 Saugatuck AVE is where I used to live and that space was CHANGED to a commercial space a lone time ago, it housed a hair salon, a dry cleaners, AAA, Fitness EDGE (with ALL its polluting cars being parked by Valets), a convenience store and post office…. all busy traffic interrupters and great disturbers of traffic. This would be a wonderful addition to that huge empty commercial space, so what are these people complaining about? less disturbance than all the other retailers combined that were there….and useful occupants that can educate people about how to do something to keep our environment cleaner! I am for this occupant pursuing a slight zoning change.