Fairfield Hills Panel Recommendations Due —

Newtown To State: ‘We’re Interested!’

By Steve Bigham

Late last week, First Selectman Herb Rosenthal contacted state officials to officially inform them that Newtown was interested in purchasing the Fairfield Hills property.

On Monday, the Fairfield Hills advisory committee voted unanimously to recommend to the Board of Selectmen that the town go ahead with the purchase of the 185-acre property and its one million square feet of building space.

The advisory committee will outline its recommendations for re-development of Fairfield Hills at a joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen and Legislative Council March 22 at 7:30 pm in the middle school auditorium.

Newtown residents are expected to vote on purchasing the former state mental health hospital by the spring. The cost of Fairfield Hills has not yet been disclosed, although First Selectman Herb Rosenthal expects the purchase cost to be about $5.5 million. The biggest costs facing the town would be re-development of the campus. That figure could reach $17 million.

In its final report completed this week, the committee stated that it believes the purchase of Fairfield Hills provides the town an opportunity to satisfy numerous needs while giving town control over development at the same time. The Fairfield Hills campus represents roughly 0.5 percent of the land area of Newtown and, according to the committee, will not be able to satisfy every current and future municipal need.

“Taking control of this parcel is the first step for the town to develop a more active role in managing the development of our community,” the report states.

The advisory committee’s recommendation will also suggest that the town create a development authority to oversee the re-development of the land prior to purchase. This would require an act of the Legislative Council’s ordinance committee. The development authority would act similarly to the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers or Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) in that it would be independent of the political process so that whatever vision is implemented remains constant. In other words, committee members say, the plan will not get changed with every election.

Like Richter Park in Danbury, all tax revenue would go into the town’s general fund, but all lease payments from corporations would go back to the “development authority” to maintain the campus.

The development authority would be responsible for soliciting proposals from developers and assessing the value of the responses received.

Other committee recommendations are:

1. A structural inspection of the buildings needs to be done, including a life-expectancy study of buildings with no maintenance or heat.

2.  The state must complete the Phase II environmental study.

3. An operating budget needs to be in place for maintenance of the buildings and security of grounds.

Also recommended prior to development are:

1. Creation of the development authority.

2. A master plan to address the re-use of Fairfield Hills.

3. A traffic study for impact of any development of the campus.

4. A land use/wetlands study.

5. Property development/marketing costs and creation of a request for proposal (RFP).

Recommendations for Redevelopment

The advisory committee has split the campus up into six “elements” and has made recommendations for each. They are open space, land for schools, town offices, community center, “entry plaza,” and revenue generation (core campus):

Open Space: The committee is recommending that Norwalk Hall and eight single-family homes and duplexes be demolished. This land, along with the existing open space, would create a total of 125 acres of open space. The use of this space would include 90 acres for passive recreation, including hiking trails, open areas and woodland. Additionally, 25 to 35 acres should be used for active recreation, including the construction of 5 to 7 (over the next 7 to 10 years) ball fields to meet the needs of Parks & Recreation and local sports groups.

The cost for implementation: $2.4 million ($1.5 million for ball field construction, $632,000 for demolition work, and $300,000 for parking lot construction).

 Land for Schools: Approximately 21 acres should be designated for the construction of a school, the advisory committee recommends. Combined with 19.6 acres at Watertown Hall the town will have space for two schools. One of these two sites – probably Watertown Hall – will be home to the 5/6 school. The other, at the Cochran House site, could be used for an elementary school, although the Board of Education has stated that it would rather see the new school closer to Sandy Hook.

The cost for implementation: $1.94 million (demolition of Cochran House, including lead and asbestos abatement).

Town Offices: The advisory committee recommends that eight acres and Stamford and Stratford halls be designated for municipal offices. According to the town’s space needs report, the town needs 32,000 square feet. Stamford Hall has 58,000 square feet of usable space. All offices – minus first selectman and town clerk – would be housed under one roof. This plan, according to the report, eliminates the need for an $11.2 million addition at Edmond Town Hall.

The cost for implementation: $3.8 million ($3.3 million for renovation and upgrade, including heat, $262,000 for lead and asbestos abatement, and $166,000 for parking lot construction).

Community Center: The report suggests that Plymouth Hall be designated as a multi-generation community center. The building includes a theater, bowling alley, gymnasium, recreation and art space. The area would allow for the consolidation of all Parks & Recreation programs.

The cost for implementation: $4.3 million ($3.8 million for renovation and upgrade, including heat, $270,000 for lead and asbestos abatement, and $189,000 for parking lot construction).

Economic Development (Core Campus): The committee suggests that 38 acres, including nine buildings, be designated for economic development. It envisions the five largest buildings – Shelton, Canaan, Bridgeport, Greenwich and Kent buildings – being re-used for corporate use. Fairfield, Bridgewater, Litchfield and Yale buildings would be demolished to make room for parking.

As the advisory committee points out, the creation of a sustainable economic zone that generates revenues will help to offset the town’s investment to own the property. Newtown would maintain control of the property through the structure of the long-term lease agreement. The developer would assume all renovation and abatement costs and would likely pay the town as much as a million dollars in rent each year.

According to the report, the nine buildings represent more than 900,000 square feet of space. To abate and demolish them would cost the town nearly $15 million.

“The asbestos and lead abatement and demolition costs make it uneconomical to clean the buildings for additional open space,” the report states.

The cost for implementation: Little to nothing.

Entry Plaza: The committee recommends that this showpiece area, which includes Woodbury and Newtown halls, as well as a small green, should be designated for mixed use. The town may need to leave this area open for a corporate tenant, although some committee members doubt a corporation will need this area. Instead, the area might be used for shops, restaurants, offices, walkways, etc.

The committee recommended against using the two buildings for municipal use for three reasons. First, all municipal offices cannot fit in one building. Secondly, municipal offices are closed at night and on weekends, so citizens will not be drawn to the area during those times. Lastly, the committee believes there will be a need for small businesses due to the increased activity in the area.

The cost for implementation: $4.45 million ($3.9 million for renovation of both buildings, $329,000 for asbestos and lead abatement, $194,000 for parking lot construction).

Annual costs in excess of one million dollars for maintenance, lighting, etc. would also need to be considered if the town purchased the property.