06/01/2026
As a State Representative for the Town of Killingly, I have been asked to weigh in on the distribution centers that are currently being proposed to be developed within our community.
From a planning and zoning standpoint, legal applications must be evaluated based on their fulfilment and compliance with regulations currently in place. If the proposed developments meet the applicable zoning requirements, the Commission is obligated to consider them within that regulatory framework. However, it was unfortunate and remiss that during the process of updating the regulations, town staff did not communicate to the public the possible repercussions to the town. These facilities are enormous in scale and will undoubtedly alter the character and landscape of our rural community if they are approved.
When presenting information on possible future development, a Town’s Planning Staff has the responsibility to relay to both the commission and the public any and all effects that proposed changes in the regulations could have. If Town staff knows that particular areas of the State are being targeted for GIANT distribution centers, and changing the regulations would open the door to this type of development, the issue should be repeatedly raised in an obvious and transparent manner before the regulations are changed.
While the state can not intervene in local land use decisions of this nature, I firmly believe that the residents of this community should have been given a stronger voice and should have had more opportunity to directly weigh in on projects of this magnitude before they are moved forward.
Growth and economic development are important, but so too is preserving the identity, quality of life, and wishes of the people who call Killingly home. Moving forward, I believe this situation must encourage meaningful discussion about how communities can better balance development with local input and long-term planning.
State Representative Anne Dauphinais
