At Fairfield Hills—

P&Z Approves Newtown Youth Academy

By Andrew Gorosko

Following an October 18 public hearing, Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members approved the construction of the Newtown Youth Academy (NYA), an 80,200-square-foot private, nonprofit sports/recreation facility at Fairfield Hills.

Bridgewater House at Fairfield Hills would be demolished to create a site for the sports facility.

Bridgewater House and many other large masonry buildings formerly served as patient housing and care facilities at the state psychiatric hospital, which closed in 1995. The town acquired the hospital core campus in 2004 and is redeveloping the site for multiple uses.

The Fairfield Hills Authority (FHA) recently recommended that the town enter a lease agreement that would allow the Newtown Youth Academy to be built by resident Peter D’Amico.

Under the arrangement, the town would make land available at Fairfield Hills and Mr D’Amico would finance the sports complex.

The demolition of Bridgewater House is expected to start soon, with the NYA construction project to follow.

The Fairfield Hills Authority is the applicant of record for the NYA project.

The P&Z approved the sports complex project with ten conditions.

Because the site lies above the Pootatuck Aquifer, the property will be subject to various restrictions placed on activities in such environmentally sensitive areas.

The P&Z is requiring that the FHA follow a policy of aquifer protection for the site. That policy would address interior operations, as well as grounds maintenance, plus procedures that would be followed in the event of hazardous materials spills. The site is located in an area where the groundwater is a public water supply.

A policy on aquifer protection must be posted on the site and be provided to the tenants of the property.

The P&Z specifies a variety of regulations on garbage storage and waste handling at the site with the goal of aquifer protection.

The P&Z prohibits the permanent outdoor storage of commercial vehicles and construction equipment at the site. Also, the maintenance of such vehicles and equipment is prohibited.

Also, the owner and tenants of the property must follow the minimum standards for land uses as listed in the Aquifer Protection District (APD) regulations.

Trees located on the site should be preserved following consultation with the town tree warden, according to the P&Z.

Also, all exterior site lighting must meet the Dark Sky standards, which seek to limit light pollution.

When the nearby Greenwich House is eventually demolished, a temporary parking area next to the sports center would need to be removed, according to the P&Z.

P&Z members concluded that the sports center would have no significant adverse effect on the underlying Pootatuck Aquifer. Also, the development plans are consistent with the provisions of the APD zoning rules and with the Fairfield Hills Adaptive Reuse (FHAR) zoning regulations, according to the P&Z.  

Following a September 20 public hearing, P&Z members had approved modifications to the Fairfield Hills Master Plan, creating a mechanism to allow the construction of the sports center.