By James Lomuscio
Despite its time-honored reputation and a more than 50-year presence in Westport, Goodwill Industries of Western Connecticut, Inc. was not received with complete goodwill Thursday night at the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z).
Goodwill wants to move to the site of the former Peppermill Restaurant at at 1700 Post Road East in Westport from its present location at 1572 Post Road East. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Goodwill representatives went before the P&Z to request a site plan approval for a bigger facility at the site of the old Peppermill Restaurant on Post Road East.
At the public hearing, commission members questioned David Turner, Goodwill’s president, and John Fallon, counsel for the local representatives of the 108-year-old nonprofit, on everything from parking spaces to reworking the driveway entrance to the times trucks would drop off and remove goods.
The applicants also took heat for trying to reconfigure the lot despite an easement it shares with the Westport Tennis Club.
Currently located at 1572 Post Road East, Goodwill—which was founded in 1902 in Boston and whose motto is “a hand up, not a hand out”—is looking to move to 1700 Post Road East, where Fallon said, “It will give us better opportunities to provide better services.”
“This is an extremely important location for us,” Fallon said, noting that Westport is one of Goodwill’s most successful retail locations. “This Westport store will continue that success in an enhanced, architectural building.
“We will do a much better job in terms of the site,” he added.
P&Z member Michael Kraweic, for one, said he was bothered that Goodwill had not yet talked to neighbors about the plan.
“One thing that annoys me is when people come in with a plan, and they haven’t approached the neighbors,” he said.
The biggest criticism came from Ron Corwin, chairman. He said that while the proposed Goodwill retail store—and its role as a career center, since it trains those who work there—are allowed in a general business district, “I am troubled by the donation center.”
The new facility, just like the current one, plans a portion of the building to be set aside for Goodwill employees to take donations from the public.
“When we approve this, if we do, we are in effect approving a donation center at every general business district store in the area,” Corwin said.
Corwin noted that in a dozen other communities, Goodwill has separate drop-off or “recycling centers.” He said that even the Salvation Army does not take donations at its retail stores.
Goodwill is currently located at 1572 Post Road East. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Fallon countered that the donation center would be allowed as an accessory use, and that the primary use would remain that of a retail outlet.
Corwin was not convinced. He said it would set the stage for other stores, such as Crate & Barrel, to take donations of used furniture.
“I disagree that it is an accessory function of retail,” Corwin said. “It can be carried out at another location as it is at a dozen other locations in the state.”
Fallon fired back that when Goodwill receives donations from the public it was no different than Banana Republic receiving shipments from a wholesaler.
“Our products are delivered to us by charitable members of the public,” he said.
P&Z member Eleanor Lowenstein asked what percentage of the materials dropped off at Goodwill is actually sold at the store as opposed to being shipped to other locations.
Stressing that the Westport store is not and will not be a distribution center, Turner said that 75 percent of the donations are sold on site, with 25 percent rerouted only because they damaged, needed repair or need to be recycled because they are of poor quality.
Corwin stuck to his guns.
“I am troubled by the precedent it would set for every retail establishment,” he said.
Mary Young, deputy director of the Planning and Zoning department, said that the precedent was already set with the current Goodwill store, “and I don’t see a plethora” of donation centers.
“To me it’s like an antique store,” Fallon said. “Retail takes many forms. If you start to proscribe what we can do, I think you will open up a Pandora’s box.”
David Press, P&Z secretary, seemed baffled by the argument, saying that it opened up a whole debate of what defines retail. Laurence Bradley, Planning and Zoning Department director, said that there is no definition of retail in the zoning regulations.
If people cannot drop things off, Press pondered, it would bring into question how dry cleaners operate or how to drop off “recycled cans.”
“I don’t know how to pin the Jello to the wall here,” Press said, asking for a continuation at the next meeting. “Is retail just the fact that it goes out the door?”
Corwin continued the public hearing to Dec. 2.
According to its website, Goodwill today has become a $3.2 billion nonprofit organization made up of 165 independent, community-based Goodwills.
It was founded in 1902 by the Rev. Edgar J. Helms, a Methodist minister and early social innovator, who collected used household goods and clothing in wealthier areas of Boston, then trained and hired those who were poor to mend and repair the used goods.
The goods were then resold or were given to the people who repaired them. The system worked, and the Goodwill philosophy of “a hand up, not a hand out” was born, the website said.
It said member Goodwills are independent, community-based organizations, governed by local boards of directors and must be accredited, apply for membership and meet the criteria and standards for membership established by Goodwill Industries International, Inc.
Goodwill Industries of Western Connecticut is based in Bridgeport and in addition to Westport has stores in Bridgeport, Bristol, Brookfield, Danbury, Glastonbury, Manchester, Milford, Monroe, New Milford, Newington, Norwalk, Stamford, Torrington, and Waterbury, according to its website.
Chairman Corwin seems to have come up with another Incomprehensible position. Crate & Barrel accepting used furniture. Pleeeeeze!
Perhaps there is another explanation rooted in past hearings:
“people gave money and contributed to us to get these things done.
There is a huge Goodwill retail center on the border of Fairfield/Bridgeport and another one just south of us in Norwalk. Why do we need another giant one sitting here on the Post Road? I give to the Goodwill all of the time and it’s current building has worked for many years….I don’t understand why they need to make it bigger.
I had no idea that Crate and Barrel took used items. Perhaps I’ll drop off my next round, there. I’m in the process of doing yet another “cleaning.” Will they give me a tax receipt, too?
This is fantastic news to know that there’s more than one location in Westport to bring household items. Will they take clothes, too?
I thought there was going to be a bank built on that site. Perhaps the thought of having to make deposits of money, cash & checks, etc. did not meet Mr. Corwins idea of proper retail since a drive up window at a bank could be considered a drop off point for a retail business. So is the abundance of banks along the Post Road non-compliant? I’m just saying.
Actually Goodwill is trading down by moving to the Peppermill site. Their previous move was made to a building that had been occupied by a very upscale French restaurant—Chez Pierre. The Peppermill, while a Westport institution, was “lowscale” when compared to Chez Pierre.
Geez, I for one would rather look at another rotting, dilapidated hulk of a shuttered business, than a vital operation that serves many in various ways…
let’s let the P&Z;Gods just vote everything down so that Westport can cease to be a vibrant community. But we’ll have plenty of banks ! 🙂
NOT !
Goodwill is a great place for us Westporters to recycle our unwanted goods. Their current facility is crowded and the drive-thru donation center is small and narrow.
These arguments against are laughable.