Becker And Becker Continues

To Press Its Case Aggressively

By Steve Bigham

You won’t see the name Becker and Becker Associates on any billboards in town, but the development firm’s name can be seen and heard just about everywhere else. At the Labor Day Parade, it was the Becker and Becker contingent bringing up the rear. And, on Tuesday, Bruce Becker and his team hosted a planning workshop for Newtown’s athletic groups at the newly opened Inn at Newtown. There was plenty of food and drink and lots of talk about Becker and Becker and its determination to purchase Fairfield Hills… for the good of the town.

Becker and Becker has its designs on Newtown and Fairfield Hills, and its president, Bruce Becker, has become something of a household name in town. His New Canaan firm has been, by far, the most aggressive of the three firms seeking to buy the 186-acre campus from the state. The company has proposed a plan, which promises a partnership with the town. According to Mr Becker, it is a plan that gives Newtown ownership of more than 100 acres of open space and five of the existing buildings (at a cost of $4.5 million). Mr Becker hopes his recently “revised” offer will be too good for the town to refuse.

“It’s so much better than the alternative, which is the town buying the land and then trying to sort it all out,” Mr Becker said this week.

But there are many Newtown residents who, despite the tempting new offer, still want the town to buy the entire parcel. They believe Becker and Becker still seeks a controlling interest in the development of Fairfield Hills.

“I believe Becker and Becker is concerned with developing parts of Fairfield Hills as a money making interest. But what they plan may not be in the best interest of the town,” noted resident Ruby Johnson, who has spearheaded a drive to convince the town to buy the land. “He’s trying to win over the hearts of the people in Newtown, but we need to be in control. We need to take our time. Becker and Becker wants to go fast.”

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal this week claimed he was still undecided about which direction to go on Fairfield Hills, though he has expressed a favorable view of the possibility of a town purchase in recent weeks. As for Becker and Becker’s recent proposal, Mr Rosenthal says he still does not know what to make of it. The new plan calls for all kinds of complicated financial schemes designed to save Newtown money.

“Sometimes you can overcomplicate things,” Mr Rosenthal said.

Mr Becker points out that Newtown’s suggested uses for Fairfield Hills – ball fields, commercial development, office space, schools, a YMCA – are good; however, they are at a very basic level.

“All of these things are already in our proposal and have been developed to the point where we are ready to see them out,” he said. “It’s clear Newtown needs a partner like us to make its vision a reality.”

Becker and Becker started out as just one of three firms selected by the state as a finalist for the purchase of Fairfield Hills. But somewhere along the line, the development firm became a front runner the minds of many Newtown residents through an aggressive public relations campaign. Its perceived willingness to adapt to whatever the town’s needs were has made it popular. Meanwhile, the firms of Spectrum Skanska and Wilder Balter have kept a low profile since submitting their original proposals.

 Mr Becker calls himself a planner first, developer second.

“Our firm is a planning and development firm. A lot of our work is done strictly as professional planners to communities, and so our purpose in those is exclusively to look at what’s in the best interest of the town. The towns pay us to do that,” he said.

But some in Newtown said they have become somewhat turned off by Becker and Becker’s full court press on the town. “I’m trying not to be turned off by the aggressiveness and stay focused on the proposals,” Mr Rosenthal said. “There is a certain degree of showmanship.”

But there are many residents who hail the Becker and Becker plan as the only viable option for Newtown. As resident Gary Gray points out, only Becker and Becker takes into consideration the character of Newtown, preserves the historic structures at Fairfield Hills, and is aware of the needs of the community.

Becker and Becker development associate, Kirsten Springer, says her company became intertwined in the community in an effort to get to know the people who live here.

“The best way to meet your client’s needs is to understand them,” she said.

Becker and Becker was founded in 1950 by the Becker family, and Bruce Redman Becker has been president since 1988.

The eight-member Selection Committee is slated to meet sometime over the next month to consider several issues. According to state official Richard Nuclo, the possibility still exists that Fairfield Hills could be offered directly to the town, bypassing the three developers altogether.