At this time one year ago, Wilmington was confronting the very real possibility of what we believe to be a notorious national retail franchise moving to town. The community narrowly avoided this blight, but only due to the fact that the soil at the proposed site happens to be too wet.

Although a large number of town residents and nearby neighbors vocally opposed the expansion of this franchise into Wilmington, it remains unclear whether Wilmington’s current zoning code is up to the task of thwarting commercial entities that seek to scar our town, detract from its character and impair its economy.With that in mind, town board members Paula McGreevy and Tim Follos drafted two brief amendments to Wilmington’s zoning code.

On Wednesday, May 25, the town board took an important vote to move these amendments forward. To the board members who took this vote to protect the town we know and love: Thank you! It is worth emphasizing that the proposed amendments do not prohibit any business or say “no” to anything — they merely give Wilmington’s Planning-Zoning Board more flexibility and a stronger legal foundation if the members of that board ultimately decide that a future proposal is not in the community’s best interests.

Although the recent vote was important, the amendments have not yet been adopted — that will take at least a few more months — and the residents of Wilmington need to continue showing up and speaking up to show our elected leaders that we support these improvements to our zoning code.We urge our town board to formally adopt the amendments without delay or dilution.

Once again, thank you to the members of Wilmington’s town council for taking an important step to protect our wonderful community for future generations. Sincerely,

Nancy Gonyea, Jeri Wright, Guy Stephenson, Pat and Ed Winch, Bethany Stephenson Kress, Heike and Bert Yost, Christina Anderson, Edward Geserick, Whitney Casey, Joe Bentley, Karl Von Entress, Chelsea Walker, Dan Winkler, Sarah Adams, Max Eaton, Zuzka Schaffer, Caitlin and Evan Bottcher, Jason Winch, Brigette E. Levitt, Jessica Mulvey, Alison and Drew Haas, Jessica and Matthew Farnsworth, Hannah and Pete Torrance

Wilmington