Keith Releases His Economic Development Platform

Wilton Economic Development Commissioner and State Representative candidate Keith Rodgerson released his long-awaited Economic Development Campaign Platform today. Rodgerson, who is running in the 143rd district (Wilton, Westport, and Norwalk), is the proprietor of a consultancy that provides technical and planning assistance to small business clusters and manufacturers. He is a former board member of the Community Capital Fund and has been active in many local, state and national organizations, including Congress for the New Urbanism, Coastal Fairfield County Consortium, and various environmental and land use planning consortiums. Rodgerson is also a certified Economic Development Finance Professional.    

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The 143rd district is in rapid transition. Development outcomes in the next two years will define our property tax rates, the level of public and private investment, our historic and physical character, and our quality of life for a generation. Westport is growing rapidly and struggling to keep its historic assets and neighborhood businesses like Sally’s Place and Max’s Art Supply solvent. Norwalk is seeing substantial private investment amidst a divided public, continued big box interest, and a strong need for historical preservation. Wilton is crumbling at its gateways, has substantial redevelopment and historic preservation needs, and faces an uncertain future for its car-dependent office parks sprawled outward from Danbury branch line terminals across an increasingly obsolescent Route 7. Wilton Center’s vacancy rate is particularly high and impacting both property tax rates and new investment. Route 7 and the Danbury line itself face an uncertain future. This uncertainty is anathema to investment.       

Our towns and cities are struggling with antiquated zoning codes manipulated by developers. We require plans of conservation and development but do not provide the resources to towns and cities alike to codify community desires in the law and take advantage of advances in zoning theory such as form-based codes. We need to make a down payment on our future in CT by funding zoning codes that embrace Transit Oriented Development (TOD) overlays around transit hubs to help towns and cities provide a maximally productive and risk-averse regulatory structure for private investment. State investment in train stations needs to be correlated with a community’s commitment to maximize overall economic production. We also need to expand new rail service into Georgetown and Wall Street, Norwalk.  

The future of Danbury line service needs to go beyond Norwalk-Danbury and suburban NYC commutation to servicing future intra-village transit between village buildouts stabilizing historic assets at Wilton Center, Cannondale, Branchville and a new proposed Georgetown Station at Gilbert-Bennett mill. We need to cultivate an environment that provides opportunity for the type of private investment that will create good jobs and make great places. We need to control development outcomes through regulatory measures and by training our elected and appointed representatives in modern land use planning and economic development finance. Our state needs to evolve forward into a tight pattern of vibrant villages, towns, neighborhood centers, and cities alongside robust rural agricultural production. We need walkable, beautiful places with mixed use retail and historic preservation. Electing an experienced representative that can build broad coalitions around the complexities of economic development policy will be critical in helping to secure a vibrant future for Wilton, Westport, and Norwalk.    

We need to think beyond transit. It is difficult to move goods, services and information in Connecticut. This creates a huge “tax” on our businesses. We need not just a safe, reliable and economical commuter rail system but also freight rail and a competitive data infrastructure.  I propose the following:  

-Create a statewide IT plan so that we can expand the financial sector and house large property-tax paying data centers.  

-Establish regionalized brownfield, housing and economic development revolving loan funds and economic development corporations and authorities through funding, regulatory incentives, capacity, and capital markets so that towns and small cities can assemble development sites, maximize private investment, attract and retain companies, and redevelop.      

-Allow small geographies to focus their tax revenue on market failure in order to create opportunities for private investment. We must simplify TIF and SSD regulations and provide programmatic economic analysis and community development assistance to potential SSDs and TIFs to help business communities make these decisions.    

-Modify 8-30g to treble credits within 1500 feet of transit and orient around TODs. Remove disincentives on tax-positive studio plus development and senior housing. Add incentives for artist housing. Allow towns to meet new 8-30g regulations by adopting new zoning codes that address housing concerns under modified guidelines with build-out analyses and set-asides.  

-Support continued investment in creative placemaking programs. Every dollar invested in culture and tourism generates 2-3 dollars in direct tax revenue.  

-Curb the influence of special interest groups catering to large, out-of-state corporations like ALEC and NFIB and support the agendas of credible small business and manufacturer organizations like the Connecticut Small Brands Council.   

-Cut regulations in targeted new economy manufacturing and high-tax yield developments. There is marked interest in Connecticut in the fields of data centers, whiskey and beer production, mid-scale artisanal manufacturing. Let’s get the state out of the way of key sector growth and competitiveness without harming consumer protections.           

Housing finance is critical to village-building, neighborhood stabilization and economic growth. 10% of Connecticut jobs are currently filled by New York residents, which costs the state over $870 million in lost revenue. We must place-make, village and hamlet-build, and provide lifecycle housing if we are to succeed in lowering property taxes, build opportunities for private investment, and function as a sustainable society.

The physical shape and character of our towns and city will undergo great change in the next two years. The ability of our residents to digest ever-increasing property taxes tied in to basic infrastructure improvements is in question. Wilton has dozens of acres of property in town whose futures are uncertain, especially around the Branchville, Wilton and Cannondale train stations. Many historic assets are at risk. The 44 Westport Road debacle is a key example of our legislators inability to influence 8-30g. We have to allow the market to meet our demand for historic preservation, tax positive growth, commercial tax base expansion and allow housing for our seniors, young professionals and artists that respects our rural character. We must do this through focused public investment, careful regulatory reform, respect for plans of conservation and development, and the reconfiguration of programs, resources and regulations so that capacity-short towns can help grow the economy with like tools as our largest cities.    

Example of traditional neighborhood 

development, Salzburg, Austria

Here's a photo of Salzburg, Austria, where their local government has taken steps to protect their heritage while welcoming economic growth around pedestrian orientation. By doing this, they have even softened the inevitable incursion by a well known fast food chain (can you see the “golden arches”?).

8-30g will take a broad coalition to modify and modernize. We must elect representatives capable of building coalitions around legislation and that have the experience necessary to secure a bright future for our history, economy, residents and businesses alike.