6 June, 2015
June 6, 2015
Dear Neighbors,
We thank all of you for the emails regarding your views on the proposed CVS; we have received hundreds and we know that the petition has well over 1000 signatures. The sheer volume makes it impossible to respond to everyone individually, which is the reason for this public letter.
We appreciate and share the concerns expressed about the impact of this new store on downtown, the existing businesses there and the community as a whole. We want to make clear that the Board of Selectmen has never endorsed this plan and the Town did reach out to the new owner in an effort to discuss possible uses for the land and provide input as to what type of business might be best for Hopkinton. However, like you, we only became aware of the identity of the new tenant when it was publicly filed this week.
The members of the Board of Selectmen, as fellow residents who care about our Town, may agree with you that having CVS or any similar chain come to Hopkinton is undesirable, for many reasons. However, as a Board, our ability to prevent legal businesses from coming to Town is tightly constrained, particularly when those businesses fit within existing zoning and require no special permitting or other approval from the Town. There is no option to hold a Special Town Meeting, pass a bylaw or take similar actions to prohibit entry of CVS. This event is strictly a private transaction between the seller, the new owner and CVS.
For that reason, the best way to make your opinions known is through continued outreach to CVS and the owner, whose actions will be determined by their financial analysis of the opportunity. The Board of Selectmen and other committees will continue to pay close attention as this transition occurs and will, as always, take whatever actions we can to protect the Town’s interests. To the extent there is any required interaction with the Town, the Board of Selectmen and other Town committees will be diligent in their review and any hearing will allow substantial time for public input.
Yours Truly,
Ben Palleiko
Chairman
Hopkinton Board of Selectmen
