Open Space Is The Answer

To Rising Taxes

To the Editor:

Thanks for your great editorial in The Bee last week. As you mentioned, the wisest move to control residential growth, which is the culprit that drives up taxes, is to purchase more land and hold it for passive recreation, also called open space. As you stated in your editorial, all of Fairfield Hills could be paved over for parking lots and commercial offices, and the town would still not receive even one mill in revenue.

Fairfield Hills is the largest purchase of open space the town has committed to make. If the town had invested in more open space years ago, we would be in a better position now to control growth. We strongly believe that the entire campus should be used only for municipal buildings to house town offices and community, cultural, and recreation centers. Those buildings that are not suitable for town use should be demolished as our budget permits. After constructing the needed playing fields, all of the remaining land should be kept as open space and as a reservoir for future town requirements.

All of this talk about economic development at Fairfield Hills will do little to pay the tax bills, but will destroy the campus. As of February 28, multiple listing records show that a total of 1,6109,619 square feet of commercial space was vacant in the surrounding towns, and The New York Times reported March 16 that Stamford alone has 2,589,600 square feet of vacant office space. Can we really expect to fill the proposed 230,000 square feet planned now for Fairfield Hills and perhaps more in the future?

Economic activities are welcome in Newtown, but they belong on privately held parcels such as Exit 9 and South Main Street, the observatory office building on South Main Street, the Curtis Packaging Industrial Park, and other places waiting for tenants. In addition, the town should push forward to market its 38 acres in Commerce Park just as soon as the land is transferred from the state to the town.

We want Newtown to make the right choices. The soul of Newtown is under attack and our quality of life endangered. We cannot support the proposed master plan that treats Fairfield Hills as a commodity to be sold or leased to private developers for their monetary enrichment.

The purchase of open space is the best answer to rising taxes. Let it begin with Fairfield Hills!

Ruby K. Johnson

for the Friends of Fairfield Hills

Chestnut Hill Road, Sandy Hook                                    April 2, 2003