Does Moscow have a need for retail?
Dear Editor,
At the P & Z hearing on the application to rezone 77 acres of agricultural land to permit development of a big box shopping center in Moscow, the developer’s representative made some puzzling statements.
Early on, he said insistently of the mega-shopping center: “The market wants to deliver this now.”
Late in the evening, he kept referring to the tremendous “need for retail” in Moscow. The scores of people remaining in the audience shook their heads in disbelief. What “need for retail”? Those of us who see dark stores and struggling merchants don’t think Moscow has any need for retail at the present time.
Maybe in the developer’s eyes, it’s not what Moscow needs that’s important. The developer only cares what the “market” needs to give us, regardless of whether we need or want it.
I hope the commissioners understand that it is the needs of the community which should guide their decision, not the needs of developers or retail giants or “the market”. I plan to attend the P&Z’s next meeting on March 8, when the commissioners will cast their votes on whether to approve or deny the application, to see if they do.
Peggy Jenkins
Deary