Zoning Change Will Keep City From Losing Another Tax-Paying Business
Written By Tom Groff - Newport Daily News - Thursday, January 31, 2008
I want to express my complete support for proposal to change the zoning in the upper Broadway district to allow AVTECH to bid on the former Sheffield School property. After some investigation, I found that AVTECH injects a large amount of money (more than $1 million) into the area economy, and the project would have no negative impact on the surrounding area and would improve the property while maintaining its history.
The proposal is exactly what Newport needs: a tax-paying business that improves the neighborhood without adding the burden of increased student load to the educational system, as a residential housing use of the building would do.
In fact, I found that AVTECH hires local high school students and provides them with their first "real" jobs. The fact that the company creates all this positive impact with only 30 or so employees has not gone unnoticed.
Other communities are trying to lure the company away from Newport with incentives. It is up to Newport's leaders to take quick action and make the necessary changes in order to keep one of the most innovative companies in Rhode Island from going the way of at least two other technology businesses.
To put it in a nutshell, housing and residential uses for such buildings cost the community money, cause increased traffic, have trash and waste issues, and noise problems, and increase the load on the schools, police and fire departments. Technology companies such as AVTECH make the community money, employees are only there during working hours and there isn't residential food waste sitting in dumpsters. Companies also tend to work with in a cooperative effort with neighbors to promote good relations for the company and its name.
City officials need to change the zoning, utilize the building, generate tax dollars and keep yet another tax-paying company from being stolen by a forward-thinking community off the island.
AVTECH Software, Inc.