NIMBY

January 9, 2024

I never thought of myself as a NIMBY. NIMBY is an acronym for the phrase “not in my back yard.” It is a characterization of opposition by residents to proposed real estate development and infrastructure developments in their local area, as well as support for strict land use regulations. It carries the connotation that such residents are only opposing the development because it is close to them and that they would tolerate or support it if it were built farther away. The residents are often called nimbys, and their viewpoint is called nimbyism. Some examples of projects that have been opposed by nimbys include housing developments, high-speed raillines, homeless shelters, day care centers, schools, universities and colleges, bike lanes and transportation planning that promotes pedestrian safety infrastructure, solar farms,wind farms, incinerators, sewage treatment systems, fracking,and nuclear waste repositories.

Some of the reasons claimed in opposition to these projects may include: harm to locally-owned businesses; loss of residential property values; environmental pollution; light and noise pollution; visual blight; strain on local resources and schools; loss of small town feel; disproportionate benefit to non-locals; increased traffic; increased crime and so on.

The most famous NIMBY in the world may be the current President-elect, Donald Trump. Trump has railed against windmills (wind turbines), saying they kill birds. Fact check: “Trump’s weird obsession with wind turbines is not rooted in reality or Bird Law.” He has vowed to halt all U.S. wind projects. He wants to “drill, baby, drill” as he promotes petroleum-based products over reusable energy like wind. However, it probably wouldn’t surprise anyone that he has a financial interest in killing wind energy where it suits him, making him a classic NIMBY. Trump got embroiled in a controversy involving his Scottish golf course and a major, North Sea wind power project, which erected eleven wind turbines in view of his golf course. Trump argued that the wind turbines would spoil the view from the golf course. Judges ruled against Trump, and ordered Trump International Golf Club Scotland Ltd. to pay the legal bills incurred, which he has refused to do.

Trump and I had one thing in common, golf, and now we have two. We are both NIMBY’s. I live in East Longmeadow, not to far from where developers, who are not from here, have proposed to demolish the vacated, 440,000 sq. ft., Package Machinery plant at 330 Chestnut St. across from American Saw, and replace it with a 560,000 sq. ft. warehouse and shipping facility, designed to accommodate 100 semi-tractor trailers at a time. Residents of abutting and/or impacted properties, mostly led by residents from The Fields at Chestnut, which is where I live, and their attorney made their case to the East Longmeadow Planning Commission. The Fields at Chestnut is an active, adult community for people fifty-five years of age and older. They cited the negative impact on property values, and the commensurate reduction in property taxes. It was estimated that, after all was said and done, the Town would actually lose tax revenue. The increased truck traffic would aggravate air pollution, and harm anyone, especially seniors, with respiratory issues. The Town of East Longmeadow has a history of terrible accidents involving trucks in this corridor so the adding of an enormous number of tractor trailers to this already crowded area could be very dangerous. Roland Bolduc, a multi-time Grand National Champion of the Super Bowl of Safety for sleeper-berth long haul truck drivers md a local resident, explained in great detail the problem with the street design in East Longmeadow.  The design does not provide sufficient space necessary for safe turns to be made by these larger trucks. In addition, the trucks would be entering and exiting adjacent to the very busy Redstone Bike-Rail Trail. Former Mayor and Fields resident, Mary Hurley, called it “absolutely catastrophic.”

The plan was rejected by the Planning Commission for the second time on February 20, 2024. There are still legal issues pending, and the developers are suing the Town of East Longmeadow. The project appears to be losing steam, but it is not dead yet. Hopefully, the developers will find a more suitable location, and move on. In the meantime, I remain a proud NIMBY.