Torrington Board of Selectmen: Polling Place Relocation

8/18/2025
Present: Mayor Elinor Carbone, Drake Waldron, Stephen Ivain, Molly Spino, Paul Cavagnero, and Anne Ruwet (Zoom). Absent: David Oliver.

The meeting included unanimous opposition from the board on granting a tax abatement to 1355 East Main Street LLC, for construction of a self-storage facility at 44 Battell Street. The property will sit along East Main Street, just east of the intersection with Torringford West Street.

“It’s a storage unit that is in prime property on East Main,” Anne Ruwet said. We don’t have control over what happens in Planning & Zoning, (but) I’ve had so many comments from people about what is happening, why are we putting a storage unit on East Main. So, now we’re also trying to give them a tax abatement? Historically, my vote has always been very concerning about any tax abatement, but specifically for this one. So, I will be voting no.”

Carbone herself admitted she hadn’t “been thrilled” to advance the request, citing similar concerns to what other councilors were laying out. “This will not create jobs,” Carbone said. “This is a facility that is being built in the most desirable commercial strip in the city of Torrington. Yes, there is a tax increase because of the size of the building, however, I don’t see that it’s fulfilling a community need or benefit.”

Economic Development Director William Wallach said the justification was the application “fit under the classification of warehousing in order to be presented to city council for then the city council to take a vote.”

Wallach later said that the abatement could help offset operating costs during startup. He said the property would still produce $1.8 million in tax revenue across a decade, but an abatement would make the difference roughly $600,000.

“It creates a scenario where the developer is more inclined to take on that project,” Wallach said.

However, Cavagnero went as far as saying granting the abatement would be “an insult” to taxpayers.

“My philosophy is abatements are to assist new businesses that have all the startup problems and concerns that every business has, so the city wants to incentivize and help those new business to be successful and grow,” Cavagnero said..” But for an existing, very successful business to do this, that seems to me an insult to all the other taxpayers in Torrington, to be blunt about it.”

A motion to table the vote failed, and every member then voted against the abatement.