Strengthen The Tax Base

To the Editor:

As the town government and its citizens wrestle with the anguish of cutting the education budget, I am puzzled as to why we are in such a place. I don’t claim to understand the nuances of the town’s fiscal legacy. However, it seems to me that our town’s economic development is far too focused on residential solutions and less so on commercial development.

In my opinion, we should not be developing more residential areas — single family homes, senior living, etc — until there is a clear plan for strengthening the tax base. Perhaps we need to revisit the economic plans for the Fairfield Hills property. It strikes me that the property’s proximity to Exit 11 provides the ideal location for a corporate park. Say what you will about traffic, but such a facility could attract a marquis corporate citizen that would help strengthen the tax base while not taxing the already overburdened school system. Coupling the development of the Fairfield Hills property with a redesign of the Exit 11 ramps may create a solution that minimizes the impact on our town’s roads. Regardless, we cannot continue to let residential development run amok. Perhaps we should revisit how we utilize our town’s assets along the I-84 corridor. But one thing is clear; doing more of what we’re doing today isn’t a recipe for future fiscal success.

Stephen Zakur

Lyrical Lane, Sandy Hook                                               April 4, 2005