The Economic Development Commission (EDC) discussed WinnDevelopment touring Kent House on the Fairfield Hills Campus at its Tuesday, October 15, meeting.

According to John Voket, the director of Newtown’s Economic and Community Development Department, “I was initially only expecting our liaison and one additional person, and then it morphed into a visit that included … [Winn’s] vice president of construction services, two architects, and an environmental person, I believe … so they toured Kent for two and a half hours.”

Voket continued that the group was “nothing but complimentary. I mean it’s a mess inside, but nothing but compliments in terms of the structural integrity and the potential for a successful outcome of the project they’re envisioning.”

He could not share more regarding the project, but added, in a joking manner, that “they walked around the outside and the comment that I heard was they saw like three potential bricks that needed to be repointed.”

All of this comes on the heels of the recent historic designation for the Fairfield Hills campus. The potential plans for Kent House include a mixed-use building with residential apartments, the specifics yet to come. Voket hopes to hear back from Winn with 3D renderings of the spaces available as Winn laser measured every space within the building and hopes to do the same for Shelton.

Of Shelton House, also on the campus, Voket said the building was “open for them, they just didn’t have the time … Rob Sibley assured [them] that ‘if you were impressed with Kent, wait till you see Shelton,’ because it’s much cleaner and in even better physical condition.”

Kent will be first, and Shelton will follow suit as it will be a “phased construction.” The proposed construction will have no impact on current activities, walking paths, or buildings on the campus, at least until people start living there.

The commission then discussed working with Fairfield Hills Authority to put together a fact sheet on Fairfield Hills, the recent historic designation, and what that means for the campus and the community at large.

One of the goals of developing Kent House is to provide affordable, accessible housing for the community. EDC Chair Jeffrey Robinson said, “We do need housing … for over 50 … we do need housing for younger people.”

Commissioner Bruce Walczak also mentioned that lack of housing impacts Newtown’s labor pool, a point that Robinson agreed with.

Other EDC News

The Economic Development Commission presented a case in front of the Legislative Council to ask about reducing the number of meetings it is required to have in a year.

Robinson said, “[the Legislative Council] thought the optics of it were terrible, and that was basically the thought process that came back at us.”

Barbara Snyder added, “It was particularly unfortunately timed because the primary subject of the meeting is that the selectmen had just passed a recommendation which was going to Legislative Council that night on 6 Commerce.”

The commission also decided to jumpstart an initiative that includes creating a comprehensive list of vacant commercial properties so it can better assist businesses coming in and businesses that need to move.

Snyder cited Graceful Planet as an example.

“[The owner] was desperate because her building got sold and she had to move her business and she was like, ‘Kim, Barabara help! I need a space in Newtown for my dance studio,’ and she had been here for years,” Snyder shared.

Regarding 6 Commerce, the commission talked briefly about the Board of Selectmen’s decision to reach out to Hartford to see if the state could remove the deed restriction that requires the property to be used for economic development. That answer has yet to come. For now, it seems that property is at a standstill.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.