Problem 1 is the location and size of the project: The proposed site is located adjacent to Route 57, near the intersection of the Mill St. Bridge.  The land is mainly zoned for agricultural use. Click here for a map of the site NRDC website NRDC site proposal Click here to see the latest rendering of the project The shopping center entrance would be located a few hundred yards from Agawam High School and The Agawam Public Library.   The site is located in the middle of a residential area, bordered by residentially zoned neighborhoods, and by Route 57. The shopping center proposal calls for total retail space of over 563,000 square feet on a current total of 86 acres. It would be one of the largest shopping centers in the region. Click here to see how other shopping centers compare The International Council of Shopping Centers (www.icsc.org) classifies this as a Regional Shopping Center The International Council of Shopping Centers (www.icsc.org) classifies this as a Regional Shopping Center Problem 2 is the Traffic: Although they have a portfolio of over 100 projects, consisting of over 14 million square feet, National Realty & Development Corporation (www.nrdc.com) is unable or unwilling to give accurate traffic estimates for the proposed shopping center. Based on an independent traffic study using data from the Institute of Transportation Engineers, Trip Generation, 7th Edition, a development of the size proposed for Tennis Road would be expected to draw over 100,000 vehicle trips per week. Click here for the traffic figures NRDC has proposed 3 new ramps off of Rt. 57 to access the shopping plaza. The ramps would be subject to the approval of the Massachusetts Highway Department. When the Rt. 57 expansion was opened in the mid 1990's, MassHighway determined that a left turn off the Mill St. exit ramp should not be allowed due to a 'line of sight' issue.  NRDC is proposing a left turn off that ramp as one of their traffic improvements.   What has changed that would result in MassHighway allowing a left turn? Even with the ramp improvements, almost all the traffic into or out of the shopping plaza would have to utilize Mill St. Click here to see the ramp layout Problem 3 is Taxes: NRDC is claiming that there will be $900,000 in new tax benefits to the town.   What they don't say is that will be a gross tax benefit. The net benefit will be much less, due to the fact that large regional shopping centers have excessive draw on town services such as police and fire, and result in increased maintenance to roads due to the excessive traffic generated. Also, the numerous large trucks needed to supply a large shopping center have been proven to cause rapid deterioration to local roads. Click here for fiscal impact studies Problem 4 is Local Business Impact: We are all aware of what happens when big box retailers move into communities. The result is loss of jobs at local businesses, and in many cases, local businesses closing.  Any new jobs created at a big box retailer are often offset by job losses at local businesses. New shopping centers do not create new spending, but redistribute spending, taking business away from local merchants. Big Box impact on local business Problem 5 is Crime and Insurance: The increase in crime that accompanies large shopping centers has been well documented.  Compare the latest available crime statistics between West Springfield and Agawam.  As the populations of the 2 towns is nearly identical, the major difference between the 2 cities is West Springfield's major retail areas. Click here to see the crime comparison Along with major traffic increases which result in numerous accidents, shopping centers also are an attractive area for car thieves. According to the Axia Insurance group of Springfield, MA, a new Honda Accord would cost over $100 more to insure in West Springfield than in Agawam. How will your car insurance costs be affected? Ask your insurance agent. Like the thousands of people in Agawam who have contacted us, our conclusion is that this regional shopping plaza will increase traffic, compromise the safety of our citizens, negatively impact our tax base and property values, hurt local business, increase our crime and insurance rates, and most of all, result in a loss of the character and atmosphere that makes Agawam a great place to live. Contact your elected officials and talk to your friends and neighbors. Let them know that " We're not buying it ! "