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Council rejects tax-abatement request for 1355 East Main; debate centers on land use and precedent
Summary
The council unanimously opposed a tax-abatement application for a self-storage redevelopment on East Main that staff recommended for presentation under the city’s tax-incentive policy; members said the site is prime retail property and raised concerns about precedent and timing.
The Torrington City Council on Aug. 18 voted unanimously to deny a tax-abatement request from 1355 East Main Street LLC for property at 44 Battelle Street (referred to in the materials as 1355 East Main Street LLC). The motion to approve the abatement failed; the chair called the final tally as “unanimously opposed.”
Economic development staff presented the application and said the property qualified to be presented to council under sections of the city’s tax-incentive policy, including categories tied to revitalizing underused or abandoned properties and a classification applied by staff as “warehousing.” William Wallach, the city’s economic development director, said the site had previously been an underused building and that the applicant sought to create a self-storage facility. He summarized the staff analysis, including projected taxes with and without an abatement over a 10-year window, and said the policy requires staff present qualifying projects for council determination.
Council debate focused on whether the proposed use fit the city’s goals for the prime East Main retail strip and on precedent. Councilwoman Rouette said she had received public comments and said, “I will be voting no,” describing the site as a “storage unit that is in prime property on East Main.” Another council member urged that abatements are best used to assist new-start businesses and job-creating projects, not established property owners building storage that may not produce new employment.
Council members also noted the application was already partly complete: staff said demolition and foundation work began in 2024. Several members described discomfort awarding an abatement where construction had started and where the use would not create housing or substantive new employment. Some members contrasted the request with recent abatements that were linked to housing and elder-care projects earlier in the council’s recent history.
A motion to table the item failed; the chair then called the vote on the abatement request. The motion to approve the abatement was defeated unanimously (recorded votes: all present members opposed). No abatement was granted.
Votes at a glance: Motion to approve tax-abatement request for 1355 East Main Street LLC (44 Battelle Street) — outcome: motion failed (council recorded as unanimously opposed).
