Panel Revises Fairfield Hills Request For Proposals

By Steve Bigham

A revised version of the town’s “request for proposals” (RFP) to developers was completed by an advisory committee Wednesday afternoon and is set for approval by the Board of Selectmen later this month.

The RFP was drafted by Harrall Michalowski Associates of Hamden.

By February, the town will begin a nationwide promotional campaign to highlight Fairfield Hills as a potential building site. Development firms will read about Fairfield Hills in the Wall Street Journal and numerous other trade publications. The RFP will also be available on the Economic Development Commission’s Web site. Community Development Director Elizabeth Stocker said she hopes to reach as many as 300 potential developers.

The town also plans to schedule three dates so that developers can tour the Fairfield Hills campus.

Currently, town officials are in negotiations with the state over the purchase of the 185-acre former mental health hospital. The state has offered to sell the buildings and property to the town “as is” for $5.5 million. The offer stipulates that the town would be responsible for all environmental cleanups and would indemnify the state for any environmental liability. Estimated costs to rid the campus of environmental contamination range from $10-20 million.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said the RFP should help the town determine whether there is a market for the re-use of Fairfield Hills as envisioned by Newtown residents.

In short, the RFP addresses the town’s needs and interests while allowing for some flexibility for the creativity of the professional development community.

The state went through a similar RFP process two years ago and got mixed results. Mr Rosenthal believes the town’s RFP is more “targeted” and will attract a more balanced group of interested developers.

Specifically, the RFP requires that developers not exceed the 1.2 million square feet of enclosed space currently at Fairfield Hills. No more than five percent of that space should be devoted to retail uses, according to the RFP, and no more than 200 residential units and/or beds should be in the development plan.

The proposed RFP, which also includes suggestions from the Legislative Council, also calls for 32,000 square feet of space to be allocated for town offices in addition to a building for recreational purposes.

Outside of these uses, 125 of the 185 acres of the site should be reserved as open space, with 90 acres of that total for passive recreation and 35 acres for 5-7 playing fields, in addition to the four existing fields on the site.

The RFP also directs potential developers to be sensitive to environmental issues, including protection of the underlying aquifer and limiting the negative impact of traffic on local streets. The RFP states that the purpose of the design principals is to encourage the preservation of the “sense of place” that Fairfield Hills now enjoys.

Ruby Johnson of “Save Fairfield Hills for Newtown” responded with regret to the completion of the RFP process this week.

“I regret that all the boards and commissions in town were not involved in the development of the RFP,” she said. “These groups were closer to the issue than anyone and could have ensured that Fairfield Hills would be used to satisfy the needs of Newtown for many years to come.”