Following discussion at a July 20 Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) public hearing, P&Z members unanimously approved construction of a building that would hold a community center and a senior center at 8 Simpson Street within the Fairfield Hills campus.

The P&Z's site development plan approval follows several years of local planning on the project intended to create a flexible-use municipal building for recreation and socialization by people of all ages. Although it will be a single structure, the building will have two distinct functions.

The overall construction cost of the planned dual-purpose building is approximately $18 million. The community center component stems from a grant from General Electric, which is making a donation to the town in the memory of the 26 people who were killed on 12/14 at Sandy Hook School. Of the community center component's $15 million cost, $10 million is being covered by GE, with the other $5 million being covered by town bonding.

The entire $3 million cost of the senior center component is being covered by town bonding.

An additional $5 million in funding from GE will cover the operational costs of the community center component during its initial years.

At the hearing Thursday evening, architect Rusty Malik of Quisenberry Arcari Architects, LLC, of Farmington described in detail the floor plans of the more than 45,000-square-foot structure. The plans depict "a variety of different spaces and uses," he said. "The goal always has been flexibility," he said.

After discussion about the various storage areas planned for the building, Mr Malik observed, "The reality is, you can never provide enough storage."

Mr Malik told P&Z members that the Fairfield Hills Authority (FHA) on July 12 endorsed the planned exterior appearance of the building. The structure's design incorporates architectural elements that are present at Fairfield Hills, a former state psychiatric hospital largely constructed in the 1930s in a neoclassical style.

George Benson, town planning director, told P&Z members that the community center and senior center plans presented to the P&Z comply with all applicable land use regulations.

In their motion to approve the project, P&Z members found that the project is consistent with the 2014 Town Plan of Conservation and Development and with the Comprehensive Plan.

As a condition of approval, the P&Z is requiring that the applicant, which is the town, comply with the various requested technical changes to the project sought by the town engineer, as stated in a July 14 document.

Also, P&Z members are requiring that certain nighttime lighting equipment be added to the senior center's patio and to the building's entrances and exits.

Additionally, P&Z members agreed to modify the Fairfield Hills Master Plan to incorporate the planned community center and senior center at the site of the former Canaan House.

 Details

The main entrance to the community center and senior center would be located directly across Simpson Street from the southern entrance to Newtown Municipal Center. The primary entrance for the senior center would be on the west side of the new building.

Open land lying east of the new building would function as a "green," and serve as a site for outdoor events. A bandshell, amphitheater, and water feature would be located near the structure. If the building were to be expanded in the future, there would be space available on its west side.

The project has received a wetlands/watercourses protection permit from the town's Land Use Agency.

The new building would contain more than 45,000 square feet of enclosed space, including the community center, the senior center, two swimming pools and related facilities, plus shared space for mechanical equipment.

(A more detailed story on the P&Z's approval of the community center and senior center project will be published in the July 28, 2017 print edition of The Newtown Bee).