Remember New London!
Remember New London, Connecticut? In 2005, the struggling city won a Supreme Court case to bulldoze the homes of many residents, citing eminent domain, to make way for a huge expansion for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. The city threw in crazy tax breaks to lure the company there, in an effort to revitalize the city. The company promised a “business and technology park.”
Now, Pfizer is shutting down its huge research facility, after merging with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Turns out they’re not making enough money. This leaves an overgrown field where the homes that were demolished to make way for the expansion used to stand.
Say…didn’t there used to be a big Westwood-Squibb pharmaceutical complex over by the Scajaquada on the West Side?
I mean, nothing like this could ever happen in a place like Buffalo…could it? Let’s hope a store like Bass Pro has a more stable future than the pharmaceutical industry.
