Finance Board Wants Verification Of Maximum Town Buildout

By John Voket

Proponents of expanding educational services in proportion to an expected student population surge may have to reconsider their priorities based on preliminary information delivered to the Board of Finance this week. Members of the finance board have long debated school district population projections when examining capital proposals, including the town’s most expensive project to date, a $47 million expansion and renovation to the existing high school.

This major expenditure represents almost half of a $101 million package of capital improvements districtwide. And while many of these projects are necessary and justified, the finance board was told a core factor used in estimating the future residential buildout of private homes — ostensibly housing new students who would justify expanding facilities and programs in the school system — is probably overestimated by about one-third.

As the Board of Finance formally received, and preliminarily reviewed, municipal and school budget proposals this week, Chairman John Kortze called for finding some funding to conduct a new demographic study that would once and for all establish buildout parameters for residential homes in town.

During his report to the board, Mr Kortze called on First Selectman Herb Rosenthal to discuss some new information that was gathered by Community Development Director Elizabeth Stocker. Mr Rosenthal said several years ago, he sought information on the saturation level of residential homes and has been progressing under the impression that, factoring current zoning restrictions, the town could max out at 2,700 additional residences.

But a new look at exactly how residential lots are configured and utilized for the average new home footprint in Newtown over the past five years may yield a considerably different outcome when applied to remaining buildable lots, Mr Rosenthal explained.

He said the newest estimations point to a saturation level of just 1,600 to 1,800 new homes, a reduction of approximately 1,000 additional residences from the current estimate. Mr Rosenthal told the finance board that while the town estimated 2,700 based on a four-acre average per residence, Ms Stocker discovered that when setbacks, elevations, open space restrictions, and the actual size of the average residential new home in town is factored, typically a new home will require six acres of total land.

“That drops the 2,700 down to 1,600 to 1,800 total homes,” Mr Rosenthal concluded.

The new locally produced data, Mr Kortze said, justifies his board seeking an independent study to verify the buildout information is accurate.

That proposal was hailed by finance board Vice Chairman James Gaston, who previously argued for capital projects including school facility and recreational expansions to factor a youth population based on the 2,700 buildout saturation point.

“This study could give us the first real look at where we are going beyond the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP),” he said. The CIP is a five-year plan that details the financial implications of school and municipal improvements.

“This may demonstrate there is no new high school needed,” he added. In recent months, as discussion of a high school expansion moved forward, Mr Gaston had expressed reservations on restricting certain aspects of the project, arguing the student population would max out in proportion to the maximum residential buildout.

Mr Kortze said an independent study would identify the potential buildout based on the latest data, permitting the finance board and other entities to take appropriate steps moving forward with municipal and school projects.

“The 2,700 lot number keeps coming back to haunt us,” Mr Kortze said.