Date: Fri 29-Jan-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Fairfield-Hills-development

Full Text:

Competing Plans Would Bring Mixed Uses To Fairfield Hills

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

A New York firm is proposing to redevelop the Fairfield Hills core campus with

a residential, mixed-use approach, incorporating a range of uses intended to

recreate the sense of a village.

The proposal involves housing types for older people including congregate

housing, empty-nester dwellings and retirement homes. It also includes

affordable housing, stores, offices, a hotel/conference center, recreational

facilities, restaurants, a village green and day care center.

S.B.C. Associates. LLC, of Greenwich, an affiliate of Spectrum/Skanska USA of

Valhalla, NY, is among the 12 firms which are in competition to privately

acquire and redevelop a 186-acre section the former state mental institution

which closed in late 1995.

Mitchell Hochberg, president of Spectrum/Skanska, said Monday the general

proposal the firm has presented to the state Office of Policy and Management

(OPM) for redeveloping Fairfield Hills incorporates the elements of "New

Urbanism," a trend in residential development that emphasizes

pedestrian-friendly streets, homes oriented to sidewalks, streets with garages

in the back, public amenities and village greens.

Mr Hochberg pointed to Spectrum/Skansa's BelleFair at Rye Brook, its 429-unit

residential development in Westchester County now under construction, as an

example of its work. BelleFair, a planned 429-unit housing development, is an

approximately $100 million project on 140 acres, Mr Hochberg said. The

development firm would be willing to spend that amount to redevelop Fairfield

Hills, he said.

Spectrum/Skanska is the largest residential developer in Westchester County

and also is active in Fairfield County, especially in Greenwich, Mr Hochberg

said.

The development project would include the construction of individual houses

and duplexes, plus the renovation of some existing buildings at Fairfield

Hills, he said. Dwellings would include rental units and privately-owned

residences.

Mr Hochberg said it is yet unclear how many residences would be created or how

dense the development would be, but said "hundreds of units" would be built.

It is yet unclear how many existing buildings would retained for use as

condominiums, apartments and loft space, he said. The project would include

affordable housing, he added. Plans include creating a small hotel and

possibly a nine-hole golf course, he said.

"Clearly, there's going to be a substantial amount of new construction," he

said, noting the project would involve some building demolition.

Joint Effort

A redevelopment of the site would address the needs of the town, Mr Hochberg

said.

The redevelopment concept includes providing open space for municipal

ballfields and other recreational uses. Also, the town's administrative,

educational and fire safety requirements might be met through the reuse of

existing buildings or land, according to Spectrum/Skanska.

"The goal of the `New' Fairfield Hills Community is to create a mixed use plan

that provides the area and its residents with a full spectrum of resources

while limiting the impact on local services, schools and traffic," according

to Spectrum/Skansa's proposal.

"Economic benefits will include additional taxes and jobs, both construction

(employment) and permanent end-use employment," it adds. "The essence of the

plan is to do an old-fashioned village and town center," Mr Hochberg said.

If Spectrum/Skansa is chosen as a finalist for redeveloping Fairfield Hills,

it would meet with members of the community to learn what facilities are

wanted at Fairfield Hills, he said. He suggested the firm would provide the

town with a Fairfield Hills building which could be used as a town hall.

The firm realizes it must satisfy the needs of the town and the state if it is

to successfully redevelop Fairfield Hills, he said.

Spectrum/Skanska's concept involves: the presence of few, if any, school-age

children; reusing existing buildings as much as possible; providing facilities

for municipal use, and creating affordable housing, Mr Hochberg said. A

redevelopment project would take four to five years to accomplish, he said.

Twelve Contenders

State OPM officials have been tight-lipped about the 12 preliminary proposals

which have been submitted for review by the Fairfield Hills Selection

Committee. The joint state-town panel will narrow the list to a group of

finalists in March. A firm to redevelop the property is scheduled to be chosen

by June.

In a statement released this week, Richard Nuclo, OPM's director of assets

management, said "The submissions received represent a wide range of uses.

Housing options include senior housing, assisted living, luxury apartments,

and active adult community. Commercial uses range from shopping center, day

care center, hotel-conference center, fitness center, (research and

development) technology park, and corporate headquarters. In addition, a

number of recreational uses are being proposed including a golf course,

equestrian trails, outdoor sports field and indoor recreational facilities.

Finally, several preliminary concepts call for cultural centers, museums and

the conversion of buildings to public or non-profit reuse."

Most redevelopment concepts involve some amount of building demolition to

accommodate new construction. A few proposals suggest no demolition, depending

on interest and the scale of public reuse of buildings on the site. All

submissions indicate a sensitivity to the historic and architectural elements

of the site, according to Mr Nuclo.

"We are very pleased at the level and quality of the response to our

solicitation for Fairfield Hills. We feel very hopeful that out of this group

a credible developer and proposal will be identified that best utilizes the

site and is sensitive to the needs and concerns of the community," according

to Mr Nuclo.

First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal urged care and caution in deciding upon

future uses of Fairfield Hills in light of its impact on the town's future.

State Rep Julia Wasserman said she is encouraged by the level of interest in

redeveloping Fairfield Hills. Selection committee members must now decide on a

proposal that is economically practical, while keeping in mind the interests

and needs of the town, she said.

Other Proposals

Community Builders of New Haven is one of the firms which has submitted a

general proposal for the redevelopment of Fairfield Hills.

Steve Green, director of Connecticut office of the national development firm,

has said there is probably no single use that requires the approximately one

million square feet of enclosed space available. Any successful redevelopment

of the property will require a mixed-use approach, he said. Community Builders

has hired a national planning firm to help it determine suitable uses for the

property. Potential uses include residential, commercial, retail and light

industrial.

Bruce Becker, an architect, planner and developer with Becker and Becker

Associates of New Canaan, has said, "We envision a plan that addresses a wide

range of community needs as well as provides market-rate and affordable

housing." The firm would take a preservationist approach in redeveloping the

property. The firm's "mixed-use residential community" redevelopment concept

would cost about $50 million to implement and could include 400 to 700

apartments, according to Mr Becker.

The redevelopment project would include luxury apartments, as well as

affordable housing. Creating dwellings in existing buildings at Fairfield

Hills would be the dominant use of the property. Becker's concept includes a

town school, town offices, a community center and cultural facilities such as

a museum and library.

In another proposal, a group of Waterbury area investors known as NBC wants to

create a nine-hole golf course and conference center, among other facilities.

PBC's proposal includes a banquet facility, fairground, agricultural center,

theater and arts center.

Carl M. Dunham, Jr, a spokesman for York Hunter, Inc, a Manhattan-based

development firm interested in redeveloping Fairfield Hills, has said the

challenge of redeveloping Fairfield Hills will be successfully intermixing

various new uses at the site. There is "a wide range of possibilities" for the

property, he said.

Denise Knauer, a spokeswoman for Baker Companies of Pleasantville, NY, has

said "Our plans are still in the preliminary stages." Ms Knauer said the firm

wants to reserve any comment on how it would develop Fairfield Hills until,

and if, it is chosen as a semifinalist for the project.

Another firm interested in redeveloping Fairfield Hills is Toll Brothers, a

Pennsylvania-based development firm, which is a major builder of luxury homes

nationwide. Kira McCarron, a Toll Brothers spokeswoman, has declined to

provide specifics on Tolls Bothers' redevelopment concept for Fairfield Hills,

but has noted the primary thrust would involve new residential construction,

plus other uses.