An Important Public Hearing

To the Editor:

Mark your calendars! Cancel all other obligations! On Thursday, January 6, 2005, Canaan House, 7:30 pm, the Planning and Zoning Commission will conduct a public hearing on the town’s request for a change in zoning for Fairfield Hills. Town officials have requested the change to permit the eight single-family homes on the campus to be used for “affordable” housing.

In May 1998, the Planning and Zoning Commission adopted zoning regulations for Fairfield Hills that permitted many commercial uses, but expressly prohibited single-family homes. The fear of overwhelming the school system was a major concern for this restriction. When many of us voted to purchase FFH, we believed that the prohibition of single-family housing would be upheld.

The requested zoning change reads, “Reuse of existing single-family homes for affordable housing. The affordable dwelling units shall contain covenants or deed restrictions which shall require that the units be sold or rented at, or below, prices which will preserve the units as housing for which persons and families pay thirty percent or less of their annual income, where such income is less than or equal to eighty percent (80 percent) of the median income as defined in Section 8-30g of the Connecticut General Statues, as amended.”

Town officials have not revealed their complete master plan for FFH, but a public hearing on it has been tentatively set for February 17. What plans do they have for the duplexes and surrounding area? Unannounced are details such as: the houses will be sold to individuals or builders, how much land will be sold with each house, costs of sewer hookup, water supply, hazardous material abatement of the surrounding structures, contaminated soil removal, access road repair, security, or how occupants would be chosen.

When the people voted to purchase FFH, we put our trust in the P&Z Commission to prohibit single-family housing. All of us are taxpayers and must bear the financial burden for FFH, but to ask us to subsidize housing for a chosen few by changing the rules after we voted to purchase the property reinforces the belief that government cannot be trusted. Town officials are planning to ask taxpayers to contribute $2 million in each of the next five years to buy “open space,” but they have not defined “open space.” Is it passive recreation only or could such town owned land be used for additional affordable housing, playgrounds, schools, teen center, or ball fields if our leaders so desired?

The selectmen’s completed master plan should be presented before any change in zoning occurs. Only then can the public respond intelligently. Selling land piece by piece erodes our trust in government. If we can’t trust government to uphold the restriction against single-family homes at FFH, how can we trust them to preserve the open spaces they are proposing to buy?

Mark you calendar! Speak your mind! Attend the P&Z Public Hearing, 7:30pm Canaan House, Thursday, January 6, 2005.

Ruby Johnson

16 Chestnut Hill Road, Sandy Hook                     December 27, 2004