Carbone, Ivain agree on goal, have different plans to get there

https://www.rep-am.com/local/localnews/2021/10/10/carbone-ivain-agree-on-goal-have-different-plans-to-get-there/ TORRINGTON – The two candidates running to be the city’s chief executive for the next four years list economic development as the major focus of their campaigns.

Democrat challenger Stephen Ivain and Republican incumbent Elinor C. Carbone have common and obvious goals for economic development: attracting more businesses to the city. But the way they plan to make it happen varies.

Carbone, who is seeking a third term as mayor, is touting her knowledge and experience to drive economic development as Ivain campaigns on a message of change, calling for a revamp of how city hall operates and restrictions on tax abatements for large-scale housing projects.

Ivain said he wants to focus on commercial and industrial, shipping/receiving businesses and make investments in industrial space to expand space and attracting new businesses.

He said the city needs to develop a 5- and 10-year growth plan with measurable goals set by and tracked by an economic development commission.

To attract more businesses, Ivain said he would like to expand more space in industrial parks and reorganize city hall to “work on (businesses) behalf” and streamline the process for reviewing and working with those businesses.

“When they come to Torrington they need something more definitive. They need a project plan, what is your process, how long does it take, what are estimated costs. Right now, my feedback I’m receiving is that it’s not happening,” Ivain said.

How would Ivain reorganize city hall and would he would add staff to the city’s planning office, which has a city planner, an assistant city planner and secretary, he said he would have to look at it.

“There’s nothing wrong with the staff that’s there, it’s a matter of organizing it so we can make decisions that would help that process along,” Ivain said.

He wants to follow the model used in other towns where “everyone is at the table at the same time” to weigh in on a plan presentation to give the business owner feedback immediately.

When asked how he would rate Carbone’s work in economic development in her eight years in office, Ivain declined to answer and said the mayor has to speak to her record.

Carbone questions Ivain proposal to reorganize, saying her approach when working with developers is hands on and already does bring everyone to the table.

“When you don’t know how something is run, it’s easy to make those kind comments and assume they aren’t running well,” Carbone said. “I am in those meetings with those developers. This is a team approach.”

When a developer contacts city hall after locating a piece of land or a building for relocating, Carbone said they immediately invite them to her office and is joined by city department heads.

They even meet business owners at the site they plan to move to, as was the case with Bicron Electronics relocating from Canaan to the former Ducci Electrical Contractors property on Goshen Road.

“We assemble this team and we sit this table with that developer and they roll open their plan and we go through those plans with them just to tell where there may be problems, identify them early so they can engage the right professional to finalize their plans before they submit them for zoning approval or building applications,” Carbone said.

Carbone cited recent comments by former New Opportunities Chief Executive Officer Robert Gatling at the grand opening of their aquaponic greenhouses on Technology Park Drive who said the city of Torrington “rolled out the red carpet” when they pitched their plans.

IVAIN ALSO TAKES ISSUE with the use of tax abatements for residential projects, including a 15-year tax abatement for the Pennrose project on Franklin Street at the former Torrington Manufacturing Company property. There is a proposed 20-year tax abatement for another 155-unit mixed-use project on Water Street at the former Hotchkiss Bros. property.

“That is a little concerning because it adds significant costs to our city. You look at the cost of education, fire, police, there are definitive costs,” Ivain said. “One hundred fifty-five units, 20-year tax abatement, would be a negative cash drag on our revenue.”

Ivain is not opposed to tax abatements but only for attracting new businesses into the city.

For the Pennrose project, Ivain said the parking lot that previously sat on the site was a positive since it helped nearby businesses.

Carbone credits the use of tax abatements – she prefers the term tax deferrals – not only for securing the Pennrose project but also Keystone Place, a senior housing facility on Litchfield Street that includes independent living, assisted living and skilled care. In 2016, the project came close to being quashed after developers and the bank financing the project saw the city’s tax rate spiked to 45.75 mills from 36.62 mills following a property revaluation.

Carbone notes how Keystone, which was completed in 201x, is one of the city’s top 10 taxpayers.

“That’s how these tax deferrals work, they provide a developer time to complete construction and then fill the business, build their book of business so their revenues now can support taxes that come as a result of this incredible investment,” Carbone said.

For Pennrose, the mayor said the site brings in zero tax revenue to the city and was contaminated. State grants of $1 million to help pay for the cleanup came with the strings that of creating a mixed-use of housing and commercial space, which aligned with what was in the POCD.

Carbone said the city needs new, modern housing since more than 65% of the city’s housing predates 1970s, Carbone said, which means lead paint, asbestos and not safe for a young family to live in.

“We know that we have to find a way to repair or replace our existing housing stock to attract young people to stay here so this housing is healthy housing.

It’s modern facilities with off-street parking with walkability and public transportation,” Carbone said.

From her first day in office, Carbone said she used her experience of six years on the City Council on what had been happening with economic development plans in the city during that time, specifically the city’s Plan of Conservation and Development that she calls “a guiding principle” and the Municipal Development Plan.

“Almost every single thing I’ve done over these past eight years is directly tied to some element of that plan,” Carbone said.

Carbone said if reelected, she plans to build new industrial parks.

She said one property owner is looking to build an industrial park on the outskirts of the city and there is also a smaller park planned for small, niche manufacturers at the former Torrington Company site.

The property owners of the former Excelsior property and the Standard Plant, part of which is being prepared for demolition, in developing the site for an industrial park that targets small, niche manufacturing properties that are only looking for small buildings.

The city has applied for a grant for brownfield remediation to assist the property owner to clean the property up.