There's an interesting article in the Hartford Business Journal Online about the construction of new pharmacies in Middletown. The take-home message is that the Big Three retail drug chains (CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens) each do extensive research on the distribution and purchasing habits of prescription drug customers, and build pharmacies accordingly. Middlesex Hospital, combined with the medical corridor on Saybrook Road, makes Middletown an attractive target for pharmacies.
The article discusses the Walgreens under construction on Main Street extension, the CVS across the street, the Stop and Shop pharmacy, and the Rite Aid just a few blocks away on Main Street, "Four retail pharmacies strung so close together is a dream not only for budget-conscious consumers but the landlords and contractors who build them."
How many pharmacy's does one town need?
ReplyDeleteThe article describes the situation from the perspective of competing pharmacies and their individual market studies, but I wonder if they are making their plans with the idea that all chains will stay in business, or that some won't make it. If one of them goes down due to this desirable competition, then we are left with an eyesore and the prospect of more demotion, wasted resources, wasted energy, and environmental impact. I guess it's the companies' right to decide, and as long as it's a permitted use, we can't do much to stop it. But I'm concerned about the future of these drugstore wars.
ReplyDeleteLets tear down a historic church for a walgreens.
ReplyDeleteI could almost handle them building new pharmacies if they were building better ones, with bigger inventories. But they keep building these drug stores that are smaller than the ones I grew up with.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the proliferation of these pharmacies will probably result in the demise of some of them, and that we will be left, alas, with visual blight and wasteful debris. However, I do feel that we can, as a city, do something about it.
ReplyDeleteDuring election season both mayoral candidates claimed that the loss of the historic church at the site of the New Walgreens was out of the city's hands. I disagreed then, and I disagree now. Partnerships between the city and the city's major players should work together to protect Middletown's assets, prevent further degradation of its environment, and enhance its economic offerings. Adherence to a smart, progressive and rational plan of development is also critical. (Thanks to P&Z Commissioner Catherine Johnson's leadership, that document has since been rewritten, and will hopefully provide a more rational blueprint for future development).
At the time, however, Planning and Zoning could have refused the special exception for a drive-thru at the site; or the Commission could have refused Walgreens the ridiculous number of parking spaces it requested. Walgreens would then not have chosen to move in, and the church might still be standing.
Thus in many cases the city already has the tools it needs to shape its future; it just needs the political will.
What is the saddest for those of us in outlying towns is that we have to travel long distances to get to a drug store. In my case, I have a choice of traveling 10 miles north to (soon to be) four drug stores in Middletown or 10 miles south one in Deep River.
ReplyDeleteOne town could use one post office, one pharmacy, one grocery store, one dry goods store...let's see wasn't that the General Store of another generation? Let's go back to the future.
So let me get this straight, a previous poster is suggesting that maybe the City should have purchased the Church that the congregation had out grown, and then perhaps the City could have spent thousands of tax dollars to fix it up, and then it could sit empty for generations! Didn't we already try that with the Pewter Shop building that the City restored and has sat empty for 25+ years at South Main and Church Streets? I can think of better ways to have my tax dollars squandered.
ReplyDeleteLeave a "historic" church that needs tens of thousands of dollars of renovation work and move into a brand new building? Probably took the Pastor ten seconds to ask, "Where do I sign?"
ReplyDeleteWhere was the righteous indignation when the City fathers tore down the historic Town Hall building to put up a parking lot?
P.S.- Get over the pharmacies!!!
NOBO, I assure you that had I been a resident of Middletown at the time I would have joined you in opposing the demolition of Town Hall. I am confused that you would not feel equally devastated about the loss of the church.
ReplyDeleteI also don't understand your comment about "getting over the pharmacies". I don't lose sleep over it, but I feel that I have the right to oppose their proliferation. They are ugly, destroy streetscapes, build ridiculously large parking lots that create excessive run off and heat islands, and they offer very little of what I, as a consumer, am looking for.
Mr. Creem, you do need to reread my post to "get it straight". I did not suggest that the city purchase the church. I argue that the city stewards and major players of Middletown should work to find alternative uses for the little remaining historic, quality architecture that we have left. Many other cities and towns have been successful in converting their historic assets into generators of economic wealth. I am convinced that the preservation of that church would have done more for Middletown's economic well-being in the long run than the construction of yet another cookie cutter pharmacy surrounded in a sea of asphalt.
I agree with Jennifer that citizens have an obligation to let their elected leaders know when they do not agree with their decisions. Call me old-fashioned, but I believe that government can be a force for good and it behooves citizens to speak up both in advance and at the time of crises. In my opinion, Middletown need not approve every development project that comes along be it too many pharmacies, open-space- devouring golf courses, or commitments to Mellili parking lot asphalt.
ReplyDelete