To the Editor:

If the Wharton Proposal is approved by Planning & Zoning, it is very likely that Newtown will be changed forever. It will be the end of Newtown as we know it — a charming, quiet, historic, country setting.

It will be transformed to a traffic-laden, heavily polluted hub of congestion known as an unhealthy place to live, with noxious trucking fumes, noise and light pollution. We will see the addition of at least 2,100 car trips in and out of the proposed property daily, according to Wharton, as well as the insufferable traffic that the tractor trailers will create.

Once approved, Newtown will have absolutely no control over who uses the building, how it is used, etc, so we must assume it will be used to maximum capacity for greatest return on investment. Is this what the residents of Newtown want?

People will undoubtedly ask how this happened to our lovely community, why it was allowed to happen.

The Planning & Zoning Board members are elected officials who are charged with representing the wishes of their constituents. While economic growth is important for Newtown, it should not be at the expense of our quality of life. This proposal is a monster planted in the middle of a residential neighborhood, and will affect all of Newtown and its neighboring communities.

I simply ask you if this is the legacy you want to leave, once out of office? Please choose wisely and with compassion. Vote NO on the Wharton Proposal.

Beth Holland

Newtown