Coverage Of EDC Position

‘Misleading’

To the Editor:

I must take exception to both the Editorial Ink Drops and a lead article, “EDC Wrestles with the Notion of Condos as Economic Development,” in the October 22, 2004 Newtown Bee. Both are misleading.

First, the EDC did not “wrestle” with the issue of “condos.” We were discussing age-restricted housing in an EH-10 zone. EH-10 zoning is simply age-restricted housing which has a considerable penalty for the owner if a school-age person is living on the property. Age-restricted housing offers senior citizens an economical, convenient life style, available in the community in which they have resided for years. This results in a substantial gain in tax revenues due to the seniors’ reduced need for services from the Town of Newtown.

Your use of the word “condos” is inappropriate and misleading. The EDC has never taken a position, or even discussed, “condos” in general. For that matter, I would suggest that the EDC would be opposed to unrestricted condos.

In your editorial you state that the EDC exercises “extra leverage” on other boards and commissions in town. This is hardly the case and implies that other boards and commissions are powerless to act after the EDC has spoken.

You correctly state that Housing and Economic Development are in separate sections of the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). Age-related housing is only mentioned in the Housing section, but no “strategies” are included for the expansion or development of age-restricted housing in Newtown.

Housing is obviously not the prime consideration of the Economic Development section of the POCD, however, there are seven existing housing “strategies” to be considered and acted upon by the EDC in cooperation with P&Z.

The POCD is a very extensive document that needs careful study and when something has been overlooked or omitted all appropriate boards and commissions must step up and try to bring about what is good for all of Newtown.

It should also be pointed out that of the “300 units of age-restricted housing” only 238 are built and/or occupied. When one compares either of these numbers to the total of 9,100 housing units in Newtown, it is a very small number — approximately three percent.

I’m very confident that P&Z, WPCA, and other applicable boards and commissions will carefully consider the problems and benefits of any project placed before them, and regardless of any prior endorsements, will make a judgment that will be in our town’s bests interests.

Chet Hopper

Chairman

Economic Development Commission

131 Boggs Hill Road, Newtown                              October 26, 2004