McDonald’s USA LLC faces potential enforcement action for tearing down a 100-year-old house next to its Springfield restaurant without a state Act 250 permit in December.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20110728/NEWS02/707289887
Article published Jul 28, 2011
McDonald’s in Springfield applies to demolish building it already knocked down
SPRINGFIELD — McDonald’s USA LLC faces potential enforcement action for tearing down a 100-year-old house next to its Springfield restaurant without a state Act 250 permit in December.
John Hasen, chief of enforcement for the Agency of Natural Resources, said Wednesday he would consult with the Division for Historic Preservation about the house before making a decision.
Since having the vacant house torn down in December, which had recently served as an office for an insurance and real estate firm, McDonald’s has applied for an Act 250 permit for permission to tear it down, along with minor modifications to its drive-through window. The house was built in 1910.
The house and land, which had been purchased by McDonalds in 2010 for $842,000 from Springfield Realty Corp., was located next to the existing McDonald’s restaurant on Chester Road.
Hasen said the state usually takes action on people or companies for doing something without a permit.
“It’s not the way it’s supposed to be done,” Hasen said. “There should be some consequences.”
He said, however, that no decision had been made yet.
According to the company’s Act 250 permit application, it is seeking permission to demolish the house after the fact, as well as expand its drive-up service at the existing restaurant.
Devin Colman of the Division for Historic Preservation, said he had been contacted by a McDonald’s project engineer and was reviewing the project.
“No recommendations have been made as to how to proceed, since I’m still in the process of gathering information about the project and establishing the historic significance of the building in question,” Colman wrote in an email.
April Hensel, District 2 coordinator, said McDonald’s application was incomplete and until it was completed there would be no decision made whether a hearing would be necessary.
Hensel sent a letter in June to McDonald’s engineering firm asking for additional information about the purpose of the demolition of the house.
She also asked the company to contact the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation since the house, which was more than 50 years old, was potentially eligible for a listing on the State Register of Historic Places.
The coordinator also asked for information about landscaping the lot and winter maintenance and use.
According to McDonald’s own Act 250 permit application, the cost of the project, including the house demolition, would be $55,000, of which $20,000 was for asbestos removal.
Nancy Dittmeier, a spokeswoman for McDonald’s USA in regional headquarters outside Boston, didn’t return messages seeking comment.
William Kearns, zoning administrator for Springfield, said the town did not get involved in issues regarding asbestos removal. He said he had given McDonald’s a permit last fall to demolish the building.
In December, a McDonald’s company spokeswoman said the company had no plans for the now-vacant lot, which is located at the busy corner of Routes 106 and 11, across from the Springfield Shopping Plaza.
According to the pending Act 250 permit, McDonald’s wants to add a second menu board to its drive-up service, and that minor modifications to curbing and parking would also be made to accommodate the drive-through improvements.
A handful of parking spaces would be lost in the changes.
The restaurant, which had been owned and operated by Cough Inc. of Rutland for years, was sold to McDonald’s last year. Cough Inc. continues to operate the restaurant.
Act 250 is another insidious invasion into private lives and enterprise. What needs to be "torn down" is Act 250. It's just a tool for nosey bureaucrats to exert control over the lives and businesses of the good people of the state, depriving them of their freedoms and livelihoods. It was a 100 year old ramshackle house that had seen better days and now Springfield is better off without it as it opens up new possibilities at that site. All the dang bureaucrats need to quit whimpering and get over it!
ReplyDeletere: "Hansen said. “There should be some consequences."
ReplyDeleteWhat Hansen needs to comprehend is, he and his ilk are why NO business is even exploring the possibility of locating in Springfield. Maybe if Hansen wasn't feasting off the State payroll, he could have an appreciation for how difficult running a business in this rat hole really is.
Springfield is plagued with multiple, abandoned, dilapidated, old buildings on its main thoroughfares. Such eye sores rightfully cast a stigma of depression on the community. Removing these rat infested slums MUST be a priority, and getting rid of Hansen may be a first step.
Most of the 'rat holes' got that way due to the greed of business owners/ landlords. It's not a reflection on the law when greedy corporations FAIL to follow them. McDonald's in Springfield thinks they are above all ordinances- remember when they painted their building before getting permission.
ReplyDeleteI hate when greed overrides common sense and am SICK and tired of hearing rich whiners complain that they have to follow the laws too.
Afterall, most of them think if you have the money you should be able to buy your way into whatever you want, regardless of its impact on others.
Real estate economics 101 as it applies to Springfield.
ReplyDelete1. Older industrial and commercial property is essentially worthless and a poor investment. Hence, it can not be sold and falls into disrepair.
2. Such property is worthless due to lack of demand and ample supply.
3. There is no demand because operating a business in Springfield is unprofitable relative to other communities.
4. Business is unprofitable here due to demographics of population. Over 50% of the population is either unemployable, or receiving aid. Such is the backlash of having the highest dropout rate in the state, countless section 8 housing, multiple elderly housing facilities and dozens of prison families that relocated here. These cock roaches will never fuel a skilled work force or support local merchants.
So there you have it. Business greed is nowhere in the formula for the proliferation of rat holes we all have to endure.
HaHaHa @ the 'lessons' comment above. Clearly someone is an angry person who would benefit from professional help. Instead of whining and playing the 'woe is me' game, do something that makes a positive difference.
ReplyDeleteBy the way- no one is 'unemployable'. They may have challenges, but nearly everyone has something to contribute.
Section 8 housing is run by landlords- not the people living there. So, if the conditions are bad- you can point the finger that way.
I'm not sure where anyone gets off calling people- especially those living in elderly housing- cockroaches. Your anger and sense of entitlement is palatable.
The stigma of depression in this town comes from a long-standing history of refusing to acknowledge declining industries. Rather than proactively addressing the impending downfall by stimulating new idea and inventions, springfield seemed to bury its collective head in the sand and pretend like all would be okay.
And now, rather than doing anything that will make a positive difference, people simply sit back and blame the 'prison families' and people at the bottom of America's economic pig pile of an economy.
I have news for you: we had major problems before the prison was even a notion. I won't educate you about the realities of how environments impact people, but if there were enough real opportunities, it is guaranteed that there were be fewer young people wandering aimlessly around a parking lot.
I personally witnessed this demolition. Mcdonald's did a better job on environmental issues than S.R.D.C. is doing on the brownsfield property known as Fomer Fellows Gear Shaper.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to check out a serious crime go look at the Fellows Gear Shaper Building. McDonald's used their own Money. Who really paid for the Fellow's Building? How much state and federal aid was mis-spent and stolen by your local regional development fraud group.
For anonymous who challenged the "Lessons" author: You must not be a resident of Springfield if you truly believe "nearly everyone has something to contribute" and state "no one is unemployable." Are you aware of the shoddy education our children get through this town? Oh....maybe your a Springfield teacher trying to justify your job performance......? Whatever your deficit, you're very foolish to believe no one is unemployable. Perhaps looking at the unemployment rates may help you educate yourself. Good luck; seems like you'll need it Pollianna!
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting such a useful, impressive and a wicked article./Wow.. looking good!
ReplyDeleteDemolition Service