P&Z Endorses Town Purchase Of 29-Acre Open Space Tract

By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members have endorsed the Board of Selectmen’s proposed purchase of a 29-acre tract of open space for passive forms of public recreation.

Following discussion at a February 16 session, P&Z members unanimously endorsed the proposal to buy 29.07 acres of wooded land at 30 Shepard Hill Road. The selectmen endorsed such a purchased at a January 24 session.

The town’s Open Space Task Force has reviewed the property and recommends its acquisition.

The land, commonly known as the Raynolds property, lies due west of Shepard Hill Road and northeast of the intersection of Sugar Hill Road and Sweet Meadow Road. The generally rectangular parcel is situated southeast of the turnaround circle at the end of Longview Heights Road.

P&Z Chairman William O’Neil told P&Z members that he had discussed the town’s acquiring the parcel with task force chairman Joe Hovious who informed him that the ad hoc panel had given the land a “high rating” in terms of a town acquisition.

Mr O’Neil termed the parcel “a very nice, relatively flat piece of land. I propose that we support this [acquisition],” he said.

Unless the town acquires the site, it could become a subdivision of single-family houses, he said.

P&Z member Robert Mulholland said he wants to review the task force’s analysis of the property’s value to the town. Mr Mulholland termed the land “a nice piece of property.”

On February 17, First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said that unless the town acquires the Raynolds property, it has the potential to become a nine-lot subdivision of single-family houses.

The property would be sold by May Alice Raynolds to the town at a price of $1,305,000. The town would acquire the property and then pay for it in installments spread across five years,. Mr Rosenthal said.

The town would leave the land in an undeveloped state, Mr Rosenthal said. The proposed purchase will be forwarded to the Legislative Council for action, Mr Rosenthal also said.

Members of the Open Space Task Force walked the property in late 2004 in reviewing its potential as a town open space acquisition, said Mr Hovious.

Mr Hovious termed the land “a nice contiguous piece of acreage to preserve as open space.”

The land has the potential for passive forms of recreation such as nature study, Mr Hovious said. The densely wooded site holds interesting bird life, he noted.

As the property now stands, it has high potential for private development, Mr Hovious noted.

The sloped, ridgetop site, which formerly was used as farmland, contains some stone walls. The property has a mixture of broadleaf trees of various ages and the land contains some walking paths.

The town’s intent in buying such property would be to preserve it in its undeveloped state, Mr Hovious said. The land does not connect with other town-owned open space parcels, he said.