Firms Line Up To Do Fairfield Hills Planning

By Steve Bigham

A half dozen planning firms have offered to assist the Town of Newtown as it tries to figure out what it wants to do with Fairfield Hills.

One of the six firms will be chosen to help prepare a master plan for the reuse of 165-acre site.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal says a master plan needs to be created before the town can move ahead with any development of the former state mental health hospital. Residents voted to purchase Fairfield Hills last June. The town is awaiting final paper work from the state before taking over the deed.

The Board of Selectmen issued a request for proposals (RFP) in September. Those responding were the firms of Harrall-Michalowski; Vita Nova of Newtown; Allee, King, Rosen and Fleming, Inc; Diversified Technologies; Jeter, Cook & Jepson; and DeCarlo & Doll Inc.

The selectmen discussed the list of prospective firms at its meeting Monday night and plan to set up interviews.

“As I pledged at the town meeting, we will hold a series of informational, interactive public forums to obtain input and to build a public consensus. From that process a preliminary master plan will be presented to the Legislative Council and to a town meeting before submitting the final master plan to the Planning and Zoning Commission for approval,” Mr Rosenthal said.

The P&Z is also required to hold a public hearing before approving, modifying, or rejecting the master plan.

Mr Rosenthal, reelected Tuesday, says he favors a mixed reuse of the property. The Fairfield Hills advisory committee has recommended a conceptual plan that calls for: 1) town uses such as municipal and Board of Education office space, 130 acres of playing fields, open space trails; and 2) compatible economic development uses and some demolition of excess buildings.

Save Fairfield Hills for Newtown – another group of interested citizens – has proposed a similar set of reuses, but with more emphasis on park-type uses, more demolition, and less economic development.

The first selectman said the town now has a “conceptual framework” for the creation of the master plan.

Mr Rosenthal said the Board of Selectmen would work to involve as many residents as possible to participate with town leaders in developing consensus for the master plan.