Council Approves Preserving 108 Acres On Four Separate Tracts

By John Voket

On Thanksgiving Eve, the Legislative Council endorsed a package of land acquisitions that will protect an additional 108 acres from residential development and add to an expansive cache of public open space. The council’s unanimous approval authorizes the town to close on four new properties, and represents the latest action in a five-year program bonding up to $12 million for preserving open space parcels that have been qualified by the Conservation Commission.

The council’s latest action came about 24 hours after the town closed on a conservation easement preserving 74 acres on Ferris family farmland in Dodgingtown (see related story).

The land acquisition initiative, a hallmark of departing First Selectman Herb Rosenthal’s administration, began in the 2004 fiscal year with the acquisition of Laurel Trail property as well as the Eichler’s Cove marina and swimming area. Other parcels large and small have followed, totaling more than 200 acres, and leaving a net balance of about $1.3 million in the approved bonding plan.

“The acquisitions we’ve made in the past two weeks alone are the culmination of years of work on the part of Joe Hovious and the Conservation Commission who have walked virtually every accessible corner of each of these recommended parcels,” Mr Rosenthal said.

Incoming first selectman Joseph Borst cast one of his final votes as a departing Legislative Council member to help seal the deal.

“I’ve always been very much in favor of protecting open space for the purpose of retaining agriculture and rural character,” Mr Borst said. “Also to control growth, because more houses means more children, which means bigger education budgets.”

All purchases were formerly approved by the Board of Selectmen and the Planning & Zoning Commission.

Newtown’s Land Use Deputy Director Robert Sibley conducted an in-depth presentation prior to the council vote, enthusiastically detailing unique aesthetic and environmental aspects of each of the four parcels. The parcels approved in the latest council vote include the Grady property, 29.238 acres off Stone Bridge Trail.

“The parcel is comprised of mature oak and hickory hardwood forest, wetlands, fringe forest habitat and is listed on the state Natural Diversity Database as habitat for the threatened wood and box turtle,” Mr Sibley said, flashing to a color slide of a box turtle he discovered while walking the parcel. That site is directly connected to town land that abuts the Paugussett State Forest, creating a contiguous swath of open space.

This parcel is also eligible for future grant reimbursement. The $800,000 purchase phased over three years, comes with a $75,000 maintenance gift giveback, Mr Sibley explained.

The Feola property off Great Quarter Road contains 19 parcels totaling 15.09 acres, the largest of which is about two acres. This purchase adds to adjacent open space near Eichler’s Cove, and includes an established vernal pool, mature forest, and a thriving diverse ecosystem, Mr Sibley told the council.

Some of the Feola parcels, purchased in total for $125,000, are eligible for future grant reimbursement.

The Brookheights property at Pond Brook and Obtuse Roads incorporates a 23.946-acre purchase for $1.4 million, with the likelihood of an additional 30 acres being gifted to the town outright, as well as a $5,000 maintenance gift. The site contains eight parcels and a Class-A wild trout stream, and obtained the highest review rating by the Conservation Commission since its inception, Mr Sibley continued.

This acquisition is also eligible for future grant reimbursement. Mr Rosenthal clarified after the meeting that 18 of the 30 additional promised acres will be secured with a no fee conservation easement and development rights to the town.

The final parcel is the Southard property, 39.70 acres off Edge Lake Road, which was acquired for $500,000. The site is adjacent to Laurel Trail land that recently received a $157,000 state grant, and is itself eligible.

Mr Sibley said the Southard parcel includes a stretch of waterfront along the Housatonic River, and connects directly to existing Newtown Forest Association property.