To the Editor:

For the last several months, I have watched with great interest the conversations surrounding the proposed Castle Hill development. Most citizens who write to The Bee are opposed, citing habitat destruction as their primary concern.

I am a land use professional with both zoning (AZT) and planning (AICP Candidate) credentials, and I’ve been immersed in Connecticut’s municipal land use landscape for over six years — including two and a half in Newtown. I understand how the sausage is made, and I want to deliver a difficult truth: You are too late.

Once a developer owns a property and comes forward with a proposal, Connecticut land use law and property rights are structured such that it is very difficult for a commission to (legally) deny the application, so long as it checks the boxes laid out in the regulations. If the commission uses too much discretion and tries to deny based on the public will, they open up themselves — and the Newtown taxpayer — to a costly lawsuit that they will likely lose.

What we need to do, if we truly care about Newtown’s beautiful environment, is to start earlier. Citizens must work with the dedicated staff and commissioners at the municipal center, or the town’s exemplary land trust (Newtown Forest Association), to engage in open space planning. This means identifying key properties throughout Newtown that are at risk of development, creating a detailed action plan to protect them, and advocating to implement that plan.

What does protection look like? It could be a “fee simple” acquisition by the municipality or land trust, putting the property in the hands of a responsible steward; alternatively, a deed restriction or a conservation easement would allow a private owner to maintain the title, but legally ban development. If you’ve ever enjoyed a hike in High Meadow at the Fairfield Hills campus or gone fishing at the Hattertown Pond Preserve, you’ve benefited from protected open space.

This sort of planning also means identifying areas where development is appropriate. Consider reviewing Newtown’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) to see the road map we’re currently following, and commit to being involved in the process of updating it about eight years from now.

As far as my personal feelings on the Castle Hill development, I am conflicted. As an environmentalist, I am always heartbroken to see habitat destroyed to accommodate development; but, solving Connecticut’s persistent and well-documented housing crisis cannot be the sole responsibility of Danbury and Hartford. I have had the pleasure of working with Newtown’s land use commissioners, and I trust that they will serve the people as best they can within their statutory authority. Please be respectful of the difficult position in which they find themselves.

Castle Hill will certainly not be the last proposal of its kind. Please, please do not wait for an application to hit the land use desk — be proactive and plan to protect the open spaces that make Newtown the beautiful place it is.

Christine O’Neill

Wolcott