On June 10, the residents of Westbrook should vote no on Stroudwater Contract Zone to support sustainable development and to protect the rights of private landowners.

The central issue of the vote is the legality of forcing a contract on a private landowner, J.B. Brown & Sons. A robust public process occurred through the Planning Board, City Council vetting, and public hearings, which extinguished the previous contract zone. The act of now forcing a private landowner into an extinguished failed contract amounts to a taking, which is not only unfair but also illegal. Should the referendum pass, the issue would almost certainly be stricken down in a court of law.

The City Council, the Planning Board, the Maine Municipal Association, the city’s administration, and the city’s own attorney all believe that imposing the contract zone on J.B. Brown & Sons (or anyone, for that matter) is both unfair and illegal. There is no settled case law answering the question of whether imposing a contract on a private landowner is legal, because the question itself is absurd. If it were to pass, the taxpayers of Westbrook would also be burdened with legal fees. Not because J. B. Brown & Sons wants to begin legal proceedings on an issue we had no part in creating, but rather we would be obligated to rightfully challenge such a blatant violation of property rights. Each citizen of Westbrook should be equally offended that, if passed, any resident’s land could be subject to such unfair action in the future.

The referendum organized by Jason Snyder is not only an assault on the rights of all private landowners, but it seeks to discourage well-planned, sustainable development. Snyder, the former landowner’s lead member, originally proposed a 1.6 million-square-foot project that never gained momentum and ended in foreclosure. I believe the voters of Westbrook recognize that the referendum initiated by Snyder is an act of spite toward a business that has a proven record of responsible development.

The failure to encourage the type of development advanced by J. B. Brown & Sons during the open public process would be a tremendous loss for the town of Westbrook. Not only would a responsible development on the land dramatically increase the tax base of Westbrook, it would also lead to the creation of hundreds of jobs both during the construction phase, and once a development is completed. In addition, as part of the recent property rezone we set aside land along Stroudwater Street for the Westbrook Regional Vocational Center to build single family homes, which would not be allowed under Mr. Snyder’s referendum.

Voting no on the Stroudwater Contract Zone referendum supports the rights of private landowners, sustainable development, and protects Westbrook residents from another egregious misuse of the citizen referendum in the future.

Vin Veroneau

President

J.B. Brown & Sons