United And Strong In Sandy Hook

To the Editor:

We would like to express our gratitude to our neighbors, friends, and family who supported our effort to maintain our Sandy Hook neighborhood as a residentially zoned area.

For those of you who could not attend the public hearing on August 18, be assured that our message was united, strong, and consistent. With over 40 petitioned names and over 30 concerned residents in attendance, the P&Z members took notice to our plea.

Sandy Hook Center is Newtown’s quiet little gem. Historic buildings are now restored and home to new shops and restaurants. The Farmers Market runs through the summer and the Pootatuck Duck Race is a great family event.

As residents, we now eagerly await the start of the Sandy Hook Beautification Project with landscape and pedestrian improvements. As to the subject of limited parking, be assured that sufficient parking does exist in Sandy Hook Center. Visitors may choose from lots behind the Deli, behind the Toy Tree and also beside the Red Brick Tavern. In our eight years of living in Sandy Hook we have yet been unable to locate convenient parking in Sandy Hook Center.

Our goal as taxpayers should be to expect our tax base to increase through logical and acceptable means. We need to fill existing retail buildings and develop existing commercially zoned land before we consider rezoning residential neighborhoods with such treasured historic homes.

We need to be mindful of new retail projects such as Queen Street/Church Hill Road, the previous Newtown Manufacturing building, and Sandy Hill Plaza South to name just a few, as well as the major retail potential that exists with Fairfield Hills.

We are confident the P&Z members heard our passion for preserving our historic neighborhood and again we thank all our neighbors, friends and family who amplified our plea.

Richard & Anne Spillane

15 Washington Avenue, Sandy Hook                    September 1, 2005