Economic development of Milford, Connecticut
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Economic development in Milford, Connecticut, has increased the size of the city and added both opportunities and some congestion, which has created controversy.
In the late Twenteith century
In the post-World War II period, Milford -- like many other New England towns -- underwent significant suburbanization. Interstate 95 was routed through town and the Milford section was completed by 1960."The biggest change to Milford was I-95 with seven exits and entrances," Robert B. Gregory, Milford's community development director, said in a July 2006 article in The Hartford Courant.[link] Friends Hope Film Shows Buildup's Negative Effect by Adrian Brune, The Hartford Courant, July 2, 2006 Hartford Courant Web site accessed July 2, 2006
In the 1960s and '70s, Milford developed further with the construction of the Westfield Connecticut Post Mall, one of the state's largest shopping malls, and the extensive commercial development of the town's stretch of the Boston Post Road.
The city also became host to several headquarters of multinational corporations during the same period. Milford is home to the operational headquarters of the Subway fast-food corporation. The town also hosts the headquarters of the BIC Corporation, which has in recent years moved most of its operation outside of the city. In December 2005 the Mountain Development Corporation bought many of Bic's former manufacturing facilities, and is in the process of finding tenents.
Twenty-first century
Economic growth and development continued after the turn of the new century -- even in churches. The Kingdom Life Christian Church, a mega-church, was one of a number of new structures built in town.Milford will soon be home to a Wal-Mart, the third in the region of western New Haven County/Eastern Fairfield County. (Other Wal-Marts are located in the nearby municipalities of Stratford, Derby and Shelton.)
In the summer of 2005, after seven years of controversy, including protests, nature preserve studies and court battles, the city government started relocating 174 families from the Ryder Mobile Home Park to make way for the Wal-Mart. Meanwhile, the Connecticut Post Mall expanded, and nearby a Lowe's home-improvement store replaced the space once occupied by World Jai-Alai.
In December 2005, during construction of the plaza, a naturally occurring form of asbestos was discovered in bedrock, leading to a halt in construction, and questions about the safety of workers and citizens in surrounding shopping centers (the Connecticut Post Mall and Stop and Shop Supermarket).
The Milford Downtown is undergoing a rapid revitalization, with development centered primarily on Daniel Street. New venues such as Cafe Atlantique, the Daniel Street Club, SBC Restaurant, the Stonebridge Restaurant, Cancun Charlie's and a number of smaller buisnesses account for downtown Milford's new-found popularity in the area.
So, they decided to make a movie, "Milford, America 06460," on a shoestring budget to show the effects of all the development.
"We wanted to know why the town has to sell out to be economically successful," Stock told a reporter for The Hartford Courant. "They're supposedly making [Milford] better, but they're making it worse."
An old trailer for the movie can be seen at www.milford-america.com.
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.Economic development today
In the present day, Milford faces the typical modern issue of deciding how much land to develop and how much to keep natural, especially in light of the city's location at the mouth of the Housatonic River.A shoestring documentary
When high school friends Mike Stock and Liz Theis returned home to Milford after college, they decided the economic development was hurting the city through increased traffic congestion and the loss of some of the community's charm as a small, beachside, working-class place.
References
External links
Economic development
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