Planning For Fairfield Hills

By SHIRLEY WOYTACK

Published: Jun 12, 2001 12:00 am

To the Editor:

With the overwhelming approval to bond the purchase of Fairfield Hills at the recent town meeting, Newtown has secured a true prize that will serve us well for decades to come.

The development and future of Fairfield Hills, as an ongoing town project, should not be left to the sole discretion of individuals, especially those who may have their own private agenda for the land and/or buildings. I would propose that a seven-member board of managers, similar to the Town Hall Board of Managers, be created. The initial composition should include a member from the Park and Recreation Commission, Save Fairfield Hills organization, other appropriate boards and commissions, as well as members of the public. It would be their function to work with the Board of Selectmen and the Legislative Council to develop the master plan for Fairfield Hills, and to help carry it through. The master plan must be created in a timely fashion, and must be carried through in order to insure the greatest good for the citizens of Newtown.

Commercial development at Fairfield Hills should be strictly limited. This site is needed by the town for the present, and can continue to satisfy municipal space needs well into the future, such as open space, the development of a central park type of setting, future school sites, recreation fields and a recreational building, and future expansion of municipal offices. Once commercial development is allowed in, it can never be re-thought. There is presently space for commercial development at the Curtis Packaging site, Exit 9, Commerce Road, etc. Commercial development can best be handled by private enterprise. Municipalities are not skilled in commercial property development or management. The town should not be in the real estate management business. One only has to look at the former state houses on Queen Street, as they deteriorate and depreciate, to see exactly why the town should not Â be in the real estate management business.

The State of Connecticut is currently handing the ball to the Town of Newtown. Letâs not fumble it.

Sincerely,

Owen D. Carney

81 Berkshire Road, Sandy HookÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â June 8, 2001

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Nobody is suggesting shutting the doors on new neighbors. What neighboring towns are doing, and what we should be doing too, is to tap the brakes on all of the multi-family residential development proposals so that we can spend 6 months updating our regulations such that if you want to build dense residential housing here, XX percent of it needs to be affordable (we will never make any headway on increasing our percentage of affordable housing otherwise, short of 8-30g), and the rest needs to be done in as low an impact manner as possible. Low impact on traffic, health & safety, the environment and on the cost of town services.

Backs Moratorium On Dense Development Applications

Hey, there you go! Richard solved it. Thanks, that seems so easy- we'll just get rid of the 2nd amendment and the Supreme Court. Seriously, the 2nd amendment doesn't create violent criminals or mental illness. The Supreme Court doesn't create violent criminals or mental illness. The problem is not the tools, but the criminals & the mental illness. The state of Connecticut seems to be focused on the tools, like Richard, while ignoring the users of those tools.

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Ned, please familarize yourself with 8-30G, and then please share the unique flaws that may be helpful in formulating a denial An 8-30g project can be denied only on very narrow grounds – i.e., if it presents health, safety or other concerns that exceed a town’s need for affordable housing. According to the TOG website, “projects cannot be rejected for incompatibility with a Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD); density; traffic congestion; height; aesthetics; concerns of neighbors or the community; and failure to comply with local zoning regulations.” 8-30g proposals are rarely denied by planning and zoning officials because the burden of proof on appeal is on the town. Appeals are costly, but a municipality can be successful in a court case if it has sufficiently established that the concerns leading to denial are factual and substantive.

P&Z Should Reject Vessel Proposal

The town should certainly measure its performance against the statewide strategies. Unless I missed it I only know of one small cluster of homes that would meet the affordable housing program. Given the 500 or so new units being added in the last 10 years I think that 4/500 would not meet the metric to allow for a moratorium. I mean, fingers crossed for a Christmas miracle but I suspect we will see a few 8-30's sent our way in a method to avoid the Nimby mob. Thanks, Nimby mob.

Discusses Affordable Housing

gangs. If I use a firearm in self/home defense, is that gun violence?

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Planning For Fairfield Hills

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