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Development Firms Unveil Detailed Plans For Fairfield Hills

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Three development groups have submitted detailed proposals for the acquisition

and mixed-use redevelopment of the 186-acre core campus at Fairfield Hills,

the former state mental institution in the geographical center of town.

The developers' offers to buy the property range from $9 million to $20

million, based on various conditions being met.

"They're all very good. We have three excellent proposals before us. They have

spent a lot of time and they have done a very good job," Richard Nuclo said

Wednesday. Mr Nuclo is director of assets management for the state Office of

Policy and Management (OPM), the agency which is overseeing the disposition of

Fairfield Hills.

Firms that submitted redevelopment proposals are: Becker and Becker

Associates, Inc of New Canaan; SBC Associates, LLC, of Greenwich; and Wilder

Balter Partners, LLC, of Elmsford, NY. One of the finalists in the competition

to acquire the property, The Community Builders, Inc, of New Haven, did not

submit a final proposal and excused itself from the competition.

Members of the Fairfield Hills Selection Committee, an eight-member joint

town-state panel that will be reviewing the proposals, met Wednesday in

Hartford to receive copies of the documents.

Of the proposals, Mr Nuclo said "They are interesting. They are very

well-done. They are different."

If one of the proposals satisfies both the state's and town's needs in terms

of future uses of Fairfield Hills, then there probably will not be a need for

the town to buy the property from the state, Mr Nuclo said. The town has the

right of first refusal on purchasing the property.

Mr Nuclo said the selection committee will decide which proposal is a suitable

one for the property, reach some agreement with that development firm, and

then offer the property for sale to the town.

"We're looking at a minimum three months (of review)," he said, adding that

consideration of the proposals might take somewhat longer.

First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal, a Selection Committee member, said "I can

see they put a lot of time, money and effort into preparing them."

Mr Rosenthal said a copy of the three development proposals will be available

for public review at Booth Library, 25 Main Street. A public meeting will be

held at which the three development groups will present their visions for the

future of Fairfield Hills. That session is tentatively scheduled for September

9.

Committee members will review various price schedules, which the developers

have quoted on what they are willing to pay to buy Fairfield Hills, Mr

Rosenthal said. The developers offer various prices for Fairfield Hills based

on various conditions being met. Selection committee members will meet with

the developers to explore the proposals, the first selectman said.

The town has hired a planning firm to analyze the implications the three

development proposals would have on the town.

Becker and Becker

In its proposal, Becker and Becker states "In addition to preserving all

historic buildings and open space at Fairfield Hills, this plan has been

crafted with the specific goal of enhancing and preserving the quality of life

in Newtown."

Aspects of the plan include: a family YMCA, expanded athletic fields, a

variety of types of senior citizen housing, multi-family housing, an

extended-stay hotel, multi-tenant medical and corporate offices, child day

care, a public grade 5/6 school in Canaan House, and municipal offices. Becker

and Becker is seeking to have the town become a partner with it in

redeveloping 5 of the 16 major buildings, as well as preserving open space for

recreational use.

Becker's plan provides specific new uses for various buildings in the core

campus. There would be a total 359 housing units.

Proposed uses include: municipal offices in Newtown Hall and Woodbury Hall; 54

apartments in Shelton House; a community center in Bridgeport Hall; a

restaurant in Stratford House; 28 apartments in Stamford Hall; 18 apartments

in Norwalk Hall; 91 senior citizen condominiums in Canaan House; a grade 5/6

public school in Cochran House; 62 units of assisted living/senior housing in

Greenwich House; 34 senior citizen apartments in Litchfield House; 38 senior

citizen apartments in Bridgewater House; a 34-unit extended-stay hotel in

Fairfield House; corporate offices in Kent House and Danbury Hall; the re-use

of existing single-family and two-family houses; plus the use of Yale Hall as

an arts and cultural center.

Becker states its housing proposed for the site would have a minor impact on

public school enrollment. It adds its proposal would provide an annual net

economic gain to the town of $1.5 million and provide $1.3 million to the

state in annual tax revenue.

Becker's plans provide for public access for passive and active recreation.

Becker offers to buy Fairfield Hills for $9 million based on its payment

schedule.

SBC Associates

SBC Associates, LLC of Greenwich proposes a development called Legacy at

Newtown. It proposes residential, recreational and commercial uses.

"The mixed-use project includes a variety of housing including senior and

independent living, live/work spaces, neighborhood retail, professional

offices, a country inn and recreational and open spaces," according to SBC.

The plan also provides for a children's museum, library, and three sites for

the town to build schools, town offices, and cultural spaces.

The housing is designed for senior citizens, empty nesters and

assisted/independent living to limit the impact on local schools and

infrastructure, according to SBC. More than 75 percent of the housing would be

age-restricted.

SBC would reuse six of the best buildings in the core campus and demolish the

others to make way for new construction.

SBC wants to create 425 residences in four housing styles; an independent

living facility in Greenwich House with 150 units; a country inn with 50

rooms, plus free standing residential buildings around it. Retail and work

space would be located in renovated Newtown Hall and Woodbury Hall.

SBC proposes building its master-planned community in three construction

phases.

SBC offers to buy the property for $20 million, provided that certain

conditions are met.

Wilder Balter

Wilder Balter Partners, LLC, of Elmsford, NY, proposes Renaissance at

Fairfield Hills. It offers the state a gross purchase price of $11.7 million,

based on various conditions.

The firm proposes preserving Newtown Hall, Woodbury Hall, Shelton House and

the Green. The company wants to build 550 residential units in four

communities and 10,000 square feet of new commercial space. It also wants to

construct a nine-hole golf course among residential development areas, or an

18-hole course, provided that it has access to land which is now zoned as a

conservation/agriculture open space area.

"Our target markets are empty nester seniors and seniors requiring an assisted

living dwelling, as well as younger single and two-person households. These

target customers will place minimal demand on community services," according

to the firm. The project would generate an annual $1.5 million in tax revenue,

it states.

SBC proposes renovating Newtown Hall, Woodbury Hall and Shelton House into 100

rental units of senior, affordable, assisted-living housing; creating 200

rental units of affordable housing; building 150 units of attached, active

adult housing for sale, plus constructing 100 townhouses for sale.

"The Renaissance at Fairfield Hills is proposed as a master-planned golf

course community which combines residential, recreational and commercial uses

in a manner that respects the historic significance of the site and preserves

its open space character," according to Wilder Balter.

The state closed Fairfield Hills in December 1995 during an era of patient

"deinstitutionalization." The facility once housed more than 3,000 psychiatric

patients.