Alternatives For Landowners

To the Editor:

The recent dialogue among Newtown residents focusing on housing development of Newtown land, both pro and con, has missed some major options.

In the case of the newest housing development being built (letter dated August 3, 2001), it is clear that the Tilson family has made some generous contributions of valuable land to the government of Newtown. They are also clearly selling a large portion of their land for major housing development, to garner huge financial gains. This is America and that is their right – not to mention what many might consider “the American way.”

Letters from other residents voiced an opposition to the large-scale housing development going on around Newtown, and cite that other families have donated their property to the government of this town to be held in perpetuity as green space, and not to be used for further housing development.

Clearly Newtown is determined to become an exclusive suburb of the New York metropolitan area. Unfortunately, the zoning that was approved falls short of ensuring this type of exclusivity, and paves the way for continued major housing development. The fact that the number one industry in Newtown is real estate also spells out the real priorities of the town government. They will not bite the hand that feeds them all that money in business and real estate taxes.

However, there are many other choices that landowners can make that will achieve both the goals of maintaining the natural landscape, while reaping some financial gain from the land.

These would include (but are certainly not limited to):

Lease the land to a significant animal conservation organization that would use the land to build and maintain an animal preserve. Terms of agreement can establish that the space is available to the public, if that is desired.

Lease the land to university or college departments of Agriculture, Forestry or Science. They will use the land for educational purposes, while protecting the natural environment.

Lease the land to an exclusive private school with serious restrictions on building development.

Lease the land to an existing environmental non-profit organization seeking to preserve as much natural space as possible. Fees can be charged for public entry and programming with proceeds returning to maintain the land.

Lease the land to local area farmers who are interested in farming more land but do not have the money to buy more land. Local and national farming organizations can assist with set-up and management of the newly founded “farm” (regulations can be established to operate the farm as organic or set a limit on pesticide use).

Lease the land to the local government for use as a community garden and orchard. There are many families who do not garden, but who might if it were a community social event. The orchards would hold appeal to all families as they are not a common element in most yards. Profit from the sale of fruit could go into maintaining the gardens and orchard.

If there are entrepreneurs in the family, many of these options may be able to be undertaken as a for-profit business, with perhaps a gardening business on the land.

Admittedly, these options do not bring the lucrative immediate financial gain of selling off land to housing developers. But in the long term, they do bring financial gain, and they achieve an overall goal of protecting the natural state of Newtown land today.

And achieving that goal allows the Newtown government and residents to achieve their most determined goal of increasing the value of the homes in Newtown as much as possible (by virtue of the fact that these natural spaces will make the town property exclusive real estate).

One other critical element of these alternatives is that the person/family holding the deed to the land has to want to preserve the natural integrity and beauty of the land. If the only thing that is important to the family is money, then forget about it. Newtown will come to look like every other overdeveloped suburb in America, complete with seas of “McMansions” on plots of land that are really too small to accommodate such large houses.

I urge the remaining owners of large pieces of undeveloped Newtown land to consider these suggestions (which I discussed with the president of Save America’s Forests, Mr Carl Ross, before I submitted this letter). If you are considering selling your land, and you do have an interest in preserving its natural state, consider these options or see if you can come up with other viable ideas of your own. It’s not too late, but it’s getting awfully close.

Thank you for your consideration.

Tess Foley

22 Hilldale Drive, Sandy Hook                                    August 21, 2001