Town Policy On Fairfield Hills Development Review Process Considered 

  By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members are considering a proposed town policy for reviewing development proposals for Fairfield Hills.

George Benson, town director of planning and land use, submitted the procedures on December 1 to P&Z members for their review and comments. The memorandum listing those procedures would amount to an internal governmental policy on processing Fairfield Hills redevelopment proposals, rather than a set of land use regulations.

The Fairfield Hills Authority (FHA) also is reviewing the memorandum, Mr Benson said. The appointive FHA works to implement the Fairfield Hills Master Plan as adopted by the elective P&Z.

P&Z member Michael Porco, Sr, said the set of procedures proposed by Mr Benson contain good points on how to handle such developmental inquiries.

Mr Benson said the town land use agency uses similar procedures for handling development inquiries for other sections of town.

P&Z members Robert Mulholland urged that such procedures explicitly state that such developmental inquiries be addressed by P&Z members as part of the preliminary review process.

As a procedural matter, developers have the option of privately meeting with a two-member panel of the five-member P&Z to discuss development proposals before such proposals progress to the formal application stage.

By holding the number of P&Z members at such a session down to two people, the state Freedom of Information (FOI) Act is not in effect, as it would be if the meeting were to have a legal quorum of three P&Z members present. When three P&Z members attend a session, the meeting must be posted in advance and be open to the public, with meeting minutes kept.

According to Mr Benson’s proposed policy on Fairfield Hills redevelopment proposals, a developer would initially contact the director of planning and land use and the director of economic and community development to review an initial version of the project and schedule a set of meetings to formulate a conceptual plan that would meet the zoning regulations and the terms of the Fairfield Hills Master Plan.

After a project receives a positive referral from the town officials, a proposed site plan would be sent to the FHA. If the FHA provides a positive referral, the proposal would be referred to the P&Z and Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC), if necessary, for review.

If the construction of a new building is proposed, the developer would submit an application to the P&Z for a site development or for a special permit. Projects located in the Aquifer Protection District (APD) would be subject to stricter review.

If a proposal involves the reuse of an existing building, the P&Z would need to review plans concerning parking, lighting, drainage, and landscaping.

After a project receives a P&Z approval, it would be submitted to the FHA for lease negotiations.

After a lease has been negotiated between the FHA and the developer, the project would be submitted to the Board of Selectmen for a public hearing and action.

Mr Benson told P&Z members December 1 that proposed procedures on handling Fairfield Hills development/redevelopment proposals would be subject to P&Z discussion at an upcoming P&Z session.

The town purchased Fairfield Hills, a 186-acre former psychiatric hospital, from the state for $3.9 million in 2004. Sections of Fairfield Hills fall under the Fairfield Hills Adaptive Reuse (FHAR) zone. The FHAR zoning rules are intended to permit the conversion and reuse of buildings in a manner in harmony with the campus and the surrounding neighborhood.