FFH Master Plan Review Final Report Released

By Kendra Bobowick

“I like the vision and I think we can do it,” said First Selectman Pat Llodra, commenting on the Fairfield Hills Master Plan Review Committee’s final 122-page report made available to the public Wednesday morning. Mrs Llodra said, “The articulation of the vision is exciting and truly reflects what the community wants and has been saying for a long time.”

Cafes and small retail establishments are encouraged, according to the review committee, and “development that significantly impacts public access” such as large-scale corporate, educational, or residential, “should not be allowed,” according to the group’s final report of recommendations posted for the public this week.

“I think it’s great that it’s there, it’s a reflection of the hard work and talent members brought to the process as well as various pubic input either through meetings or group work,” said committee Chairman Michael Floros. “It’s a synthesis of 18 months of information.” The report includes “no surprises,” he said. “This has grown organically over time.”

Mrs Llodra noted that in past years the public has used the campus largely for recreation — walking, playing with their pets, and enjoying active and passive recreation. Considering the report, which maintains these activities, she said, “To extend the use into the cultural area is aligned with what I see as the core values of our community.”

She also likes recommendations for limited economic growth and development.

The challenge will be finding the resources to make plans happen, she explained. “We need resources and a way to achieve” items such as demolition of buildings including Kent, Shelton, and Canaan Houses, for example. An estimated $6 million is in future Capital Improvement requests for these purposes, she said.

“While I am excited, I am also daunted by the challenge of resources, she said, adding she feels the committee is “very on track,” but the community is going to have to “keep its eye on the vision, and be very patient.” Stressing patience again, she said, “It will take time.”

Also available to the public is a brief executive summary detailing the Fairfield Hills Master Plan Review Committee’s final report of recommendations.

“All residents are able to read and understand how we came up with our recommendations,” Mr Floros explained. “The availability of information and the way the public is informed is an important point.”

Addressed in those pages are positions on housing, economic growth, open space, recreation, municipal, and community uses of the former state hospital campus, among a host of other topics regarding potential uses of the roughly 180 acres of land and buildings.

Committee members plan to meet with first selectman on October 3 and are considering a public presentation to follow. Hoping to discuss a public meeting with the selectmen, Mr Floros said, “It’s a matter of coordination.”

Regarding the group’s recommendations, the final document states “Several ‘guiding principles’ have emerged” based on the group’s research and efforts to engage the public.

The Report

According to the document: “First, there seems to be very wide agreement that Fairfield Hills should be a place that is generally open to Newtown residents.” Review committee members concluded that “Development that significantly impacts the public’s access should be discouraged, e.g., large-scale corporate, educational, or residential should not be allowed. Restriction of individual buildings or portions thereof is acceptable provided that the overall effect is not to block off a large area.”

Addressing another aspect, they wrote: “There is broad support for limited commercial development, particularly if such development supports people’s use of the property, e.g., cafes, small retail, etc.”

They wrote, “Based on our research and understanding, the buildings appear to be a hurdle for development.”

On housing, they wrote: “There is still the wide-spread opinion that residential housing should not be a part of the future of Fairfield Hills in any form.”

And, “We believe that the best approach for enabling [various reuses] is to plan big but start small. Uses that gain support from the community should be cultivated through additional private and public efforts.”

In its vision statement the group wrote: “We envision Fairfield Hills as a vibrant sustainable destination where all members of the community can go to enjoy recreational, social, cultural, indoor and outdoor activities. The campus provides a home for some municipal services and a gathering place for a variety of townwide events. Small retail stores, restaurants, and professional offices are nestled harmoniously within the campus. The well-designed campus connects the history of the site with its future, with the town maintaining overall control of the property and preserving the campus environment and architectural style.”

Supported Uses

Naming a series of uses that were “widely supported in general,” but did include “divergence” in some points regarding the scale of some concepts such as Newtown and Fairfield Hills as a destination, the review committee report relied heavily on community survey feedback in describing its recommended uses.

Themes for those uses are community culture and arts, community recreation, town and community services, open land, and commercial/economic.

Among the community and cultural arts ideas are indoor and outdoor exhibits and performances, art and educational classes tailored for diverse age groups, and a garden commemorating the facility’s history, staff, and patients. “Survey respondents echoed the desire to have the campus integrate a strong arts component,” states the report. In that section’s conclusion, the document states: “While an arts component was a part of the original Master Plan, funding never materialized. Therefore, we recommend a more concerted effort to identify funding sources for a performing arts center and outdoor performance venue.”

Recreation is recommended as “recreation and sports provide year-round entertainment … support local teams,” and more. Committee members also found support for a trail system for walking, jogging, biking, dogs, etc. Based on their information gathering and public input, committee members also found a majority of support for an expanded Parks and Recreation facility.

The report ranked by percentage the support lent to a playground for kids at 77 percent, horse trails at 67 percent, an indoor ice rink at 59 percent, among other ideas.

This area of discussion concludes, “The results suggest that the property provide diverse recreational options, and so support the community as a whole. While some of the recreational uses more directly support organized sports and recreation, there also needs to be options for community members who do not participate in team activities.”

Similarly, the report discusses in greater detail the other areas of recommendation.

Another area of the report discusses potential cohesive themes, and begins, “The committee believes that distinctive themes have begun to emerge from the broad vision above that have the potential to inspire the town and galvanize resources for development.” It continues, “At this time, the themes are framed out but in need of further detail. We support the creation of a process for further exploring these and other possibilities.”

Themes include: a community culture and arts destination, a community recreation destination, and an agricultural activity and destination.

The report supports additional and continued public participation, noting, “Our work identified a great deal of interest and concern about the fate of the Fairfield Hills property, including what role citizens might play.”

Town Plan Integration

One section of the report looks at a drive toward a townwide plan. It states: “We believe that Fairfield Hills should not be treated in isolation from the rest of the town properties and needs. However, in the near-term, we recommend repeating the existing five-year review process for the Fairfield Hills campus until such a time that the character of the property more fully emerges.”

A series of implementation recommendations are also included in the final report. One paragraph states: “We support the Fairfield Hills Authority in their review of the current lease structure in order to make it more viable for development, including reevaluation of the up-front lease payments and term flexibility.”

Other recommendations include, “We do not recommend the consideration of selling a parcel of land at Fairfield Hills,” unless certain guidelines are met.

Members have listed the “Pros for leasing” and the “Pros for selling” areas at Fairfield Hills.

Another section emphasizes preservation. “Act as quickly as possible to prevent further deterioration and secure the renovation of those buildings that can be saved and to demolish those deemed unusable.”

The report asserts, “There is a strong interest — both on this committee and in the town at large — in saving at least some of the buildings on the campus. But time is running out for doing so given their ongoing deterioration.” Following that statement is a brief discussion of the group’s reasoning.

It is believed the town should “Undertake/continue a comprehensive review of existing infrastructure,” “Replace the Fairfield Hills adaptive reuse zone with a finer-grained zoning map,” and “designate the high meadow as a protected area.”

Housing, on the other hand, is “not recommended for the Fairfield Hills Master Plan.”

“At this time, there is very little support for housing on the Fairfield Hills property. While many of us on the committee believe that diversifying Newtown’s housing stock and encouraging sustainable residential development are critical issues for Newtown, we agree that supporting housing on the Fairfield Hills campus at this time is not in the best interests of the property or the community,” states the first paragraph of the explanation.

The report also concludes, “There is currently little support for dedicating land at Fairfield Hills for a potential school facility. Therefore, even though the last Master Plan explicitly called out educational uses, we recommend that such educational use be omitted in the revision.”

A Town Green

The report goes on to list three priorities, which are a focus on developing a town green, which includes razing Shelton House, investigation of the viability of a performing arts center, and continued demo of obsolete buildings.

In its concluding remarks the group states: “Ownership of the Fairfield Hills campus provides the town with unique opportunities to manage development on the site. However, with these opportunities come challenges…”

Adding, “Based on our work, we have discovered some key community perspectives that should help us move forward as a community…”

Those perspectives include that Fairfield Hills should be generally open to residents.

The report mentions broad support for limited forms of commercial development and address the reasons for demolition. It stresses, “Housing should not be permitted on the property in any form.” And, “We should craft a vision for the property, including one or more cohesive themes, that might serve to galvanize the development of the property.”