Progress And Conflict Mark The Year At Fairfield Hills

By Kendra Bobowick

The final Fairfield Hills Authority meeting of 2006 looked back on a year that began with progress in First Selectman’s Herb Rosenthal’s eyes.

He said, “The first thing we had to do was the environmental cleanup and that was on schedule.”

Pleased with the soil remediation required by the department of Environmental Protection, he now looks ahead.

“I think we’re moving now,” he said regarding the plans to attract potential developers who may lease space within the former state hospital campus in the future.

Aside from the outside parties occupying space and opening corporate, retail, or restaurant doors in years to come, is the municipal aspect of Fairfield Hills. The centrally located acres now littered with vacant brick buildings are also the future home of a new town hall. Mr Rosenthal believes, as do others, that the town’s interest in relocating offices to the area may be key in creating an appeal to outside developers.

“Others will come if we’re there and investing in the campus,” he said. “Other private users might follow.”

Real estate expert Robert Barclay, president of North American Realty Advisory Services LP, has maintained his suggestions that the campus has diverse appeal. While planners have worked with Parks and Recreation Commission members including Chairman Edward Marks to coordinate plans for a 90-foot baseball field, Mr Barclay has been working with the authority to hone a document targeting developers that would generate interest in locating offices to the campus. His next move is to make the information available online.

“I want to get [the proposal] finalized and put into a website, then get it out to developers I have been talking to; I think that’s where we are,” he said.

The authority heard public comment that echoes recent points raised by a new group, Friends of Newtown. The group and its website, Insidenewtown.com, are represented by spokesperson and local business owner Matt DeAngelis who has recently filed a civil lawsuit against the town, individual selectmen, and Fairfield Hills Authority members respectively for reasons focusing on the Fairfield Hills development.

The authority meeting opened with stern remarks from resident Ruby Johnson.

Getting to the heart of her argument while addressing the authority she said, “Nevertheless, there is the master plan you said you would follow, you don’t feel you have to follow it?” The Fairfield Hills Master Plan is an overview for the vision and redevelopment of the former state hospital campus.

Ms Johnson’s question refers to a change to what is stated in the plan regarding the location for a new town hall.

She said, “I have looked carefully at the [master] plan that proposes a town hall…on the location of Shelton Hall. It doesn’t say Bridgeport Hall,” she said. Inspections revealed that extensive water damage at Shelton Hall eliminated it as a possible town hall site. Bridgeport Hall, officials concluded, presented a viable option.

Explaining, “Of course they have to follow the master plan,” Mr Rosenthal then drew one distinction that he believes has caused misunderstanding among the public: the master plan is a Planning and Zoning regulation, and selectmen can approach P&Z seeking amendments.

“If there are changes to the master plan, you have to check with P&Z…it’s a P&Z regulation that required the master plan to begin with,” he said.

Mr Rosenthal explained that selectmen will go to P&Z regarding the shift of focus from Shelton to Bridgeport hall.

“We go to them for their opinion,” he said. The commission members could advise and eventually approve any amendments to the plan. Mr Rosenthal has already spoken with Planning and Zoning Commission members regarding “what process to follow,” since the town is considering a building not specified in the master plan. Essentially, Planning and Zoning controls the plan, he said.

Clarifying another point, Mr Rosenthal stressed, “The Fairfield Hills Authority is not in charge…” of Fairfield Hills development, and answers to the Board of Selectmen, he said.

When officials were determining what type of body would oversee the Fairfield Hills project several years ago, Mr Rosenthal said, “We didn’t want a powerful authority, they’re controlled by the Board of Selectmen.”

Concerned that any misunderstanding will “get a life of its own out there,” Mr Rosenthal said, “There are a lot of [misconceptions].” The Fairfield Hills Authority is a body that supervises the campus, Mr Rosenthal said. “Their primary reason is to negotiate leases,” among other responsibilities as the authority steers architects and project managers toward developing a new town hall and marketing the campus to potential corporate developers for lease.

Ms Johnson’s inquiries are joined by those raised in the lawsuit, which began questioning Fairfield Hills activities in recent weeks, including the selection for a new town hall location, and whether the authority was following the master plan. The lawsuit also contends that the plan is not valid.

Mr DeAngelis filed the civil suit and at the same time came forward as the spokesperson for Friends of Newtown, which is behind a series of freedom of information requests presented to the town officials.