Piece By Piece

To the Editor:

Our worst fears are being realized. Even though the Newtown community has firmly stated over and over again that the property at Fairfield Hills (FFH) should remain for town, educational, and recreational use, there is now a proposal to start selling it off — bit by bit.

Why do our leaders want to sell off parts of Fairfield Hills?

Reasons: Money — the lack of a Phase II Environmental Study caused consultants to underestimate the cost of abatement as much as $2 million. So, sell the eight houses on the campus for low-cost housing (influential businessmen in town insist that the lack of “affordable” housing impedes their ability to attract workers); housing is in great demand while the commercial property market is slow.

Consider the consequences of selling the FFH houses for family homes. Dividing the selectmen’s budget (real estate tax revenue plus state aid for roads, etc) by the total population, the per person cost for municipal services shows each person in town (man, woman, child) requires $1,580 for town services; add $10,000 per pupil. Therefore, each single-family home with two persons needs $3,160 per house for municipal services, and one student ($10,000 per pupil) to equal $13,120 in costs to the town.

Presently, zoning for Fairfield Hills forbids single-family homes and a zoning change is necessary to sell the houses. The selectmen have asked P&Z for this change.

1. Should the Planning and Zoning Commission rezone FFH to allow single-family homes on the FFH campus?

2. Should rezoning allow for half-acre or one-acre lots in order to sell the land under each house?

3. Should the duplexes be included and multifamily units permitted at FFH? (For example: Stamford Hall converted into an apartment house.)

4. Should other parcels be sold for commercial development?

Until all the abatement is completed, FFH is not habitable. All town employees are being moved off the campus. By purchasing the entire parcel and paying for the abatement, Newtown taxpayers are subsidizing all uses of the property.

Requests for municipal space (town offices, cultural arts, playing fields, community center, senior center, teen center, emergency services, classrooms, and parking) far exceed the amount of land available in the core campus. If, sometime in the future or even next year, the town addresses these requests for expanded facilities, will taxpayers be asked to buy more land elsewhere? Did we vote to buy FFH and then sell it? I don’t think so!

Once FFH is fragmented and parts sold, its gone forever!

Ruby Johnson

16 Chestnut Hill Road, Sandy Hook                        October 27, 2004