To the Editor:

Do you know who is crafting the most radical change to Newtown’s zoning regulations? A developer! That’s right. The lawyer for Mr Papageorge (a developer actively seeking to change zoning regulations on Newtown land parcels he wants to imminently develop) sat side by side with Newtown’s Director of Planning at a P&Z meeting on 12/4/14 and helped him field questions about the proposed MUMI-10 zoning. Really?!

For those of you who may not be following the intricacies of this massive zoning change, here is a recap: Developers are strong-arming our town into passing a new high-density, multi-use (mixed residential and commercial) zoning overlay on the pretext of saving the town from future lawsuits around “affordable housing.” Banging the drum of potential lawsuits, the developers have blatantly crafted this zoning change, which is a ploy to force extremely high-density mixed use developments onto parcels of land that would normally not allow such projects under the town’s current zoning. Developers are actively pursuing parcels of land in Sandy Hook and Hawleyville – but this zoning could be applied to residential areas anywhere in Newtown.

So what will this new zoning look like? Three-story garden apartment buildings with unlimited commercial businesses on the first floor, 54-foot high buildings, and density up to 12 units per acre. Does that sound like Newtown to you? Our town’s director of planning and P&Z claim that these new “regulations” will give them “some control over design.” I would argue that any design control would be ineffective on a three-story, 54-foot high apartment block in a residential neighborhood. You can’t put lipstick on a pig.

This entire MUMI-10 zoning is a farce. The proposed zoning document states “the purpose is to ensure high-quality design that is sensitive to the rural character of the community and the neighborhood surrounding the development in particular.” The last time I checked, our neighborhood (Walnut Tree Hill Road, which is one of the parcels on the chopping block) was lined with 1 and 2-acre zoned, revolutionary era homes. P&Z – please explain to us how the purported purpose of this new zoning is being fulfilled.

With developers breathing down their necks for their own gain (read higher density = more profits), P&Z is pushing to pass the half-baked MUMI-10 zoning as soon as possible. If this new zoning regulation is passed, the character of Newtown will be irrevocably changed. I urge you to contact our first selectman and let her know that MUMI-10 was written for – and by – developers – and we will not stand for it!

Sincerely,

Julia Nable

10 Walnut Tree Hill Road, Sandy Hook        January 14, 2015