New Business: Not Easy
By Editor at October 16, 2023 | 8:00 am | Print
While many residents responded to our Facebook question that bringing new business into the City is the most important issue facing the next Mayor of New Britain, we want you to remember this is a small percentage of the population and is not scientifically accurate.
It is, however, an idea that would be very beneficial to most residents.
Bringing new business into New Britain is not an easy chore. During her term Mayor Erin Stewart sent various big name businesses information about the City in hopes of luring them here.
She has not seemed to have success in that particular venture so far, but she was able to get some new business in the area of Farmington Ave. and Slater Road with Frisbie’s, the gas station and the Dunkin’ Donuts during the last two years. Costco is set to open and other business endeavors are also in the works. New business has started to pop up for the first time in many years.
But, most residents would like to see new business downtown. That has seemed to be a problem for the last five or six mayors.
There are many reasons to believe that could happen soon. The new Central Park construction could lead to new ventures around downtown. New small businesses are moving in, but they are not big name franchises residents seem to remember from the past.
On the outskirts residents want to see the Old Shaw’s building and the Walmart building occupied by a good name store like The Christmas Tree Shop. Attempts have been made for that, but at this time there appears to be little interest.
It will certainly be a difficult task for the next Mayor. But if success happens it certainly would help with taxes. Additional tax revenue means lower or at least not higher taxes as well as funds to help other issues in the City such as homelessness and education.
One idea was suggested in the group was to have a tax free enterprises for new business. Tax abatements where businesses get a cut in taxes for several years in order to be successful seems like a fair idea. Aldermen and a Mayor must look at the long range value of a businesses worth to the City. Will it help the unemployment rate? Will it increase tax revenues? Will it bring more people into the City therefore encouraging new jobs?
The Common Council would have to be onboard with the decisions made by the Mayor rather than playing party politics.
If new business is a priority for the next mayor perhaps a new non-partisan committee could form with that as its only focus. The chamber of commerce and business development certainly work hard and are going in the right direction. A few new ideas, however, never hurt.
It will certainly take an entire City working together to make the City hopping with business. Residents need to keep streets clean and safe and be willing to shop downtown rather than at malls.
But if we all work together we may be able to help make this priority a thing of the past.
