Earlier this winter several Fairfield Authority members and town Grants Coordinator Christal Preszler took a trip to Preston, where a former state facility similar to Fairfield Hills is now in that town’s hands. Unlike Newtown, however, which intends to redevelop its campus as a community and municipal asset, the town of Preston plans for the eventual sale of its property.

After meeting with the group overseeing that property, Ms Preszler told the authority on February 23, “We’re hopeful to learn from them regarding contacts, funding, demolition.”

With the help of grant writers and other professionals including contract management teams, the Preston group has worked closely with the state to coordinate remediation and demolition efforts for the old hospital buildings, structures, and grounds.

Noting similarities, Ms Preszler said the property is a state hospital with the same era buildings, and the town has “done a lot” in the six years it has owned the acreage. Their approach is different, she said, since they plan to sell the property. Regarding seeking funds and planning,  however, “we can learn a lot,” she said.

FHA Chairman Thomas Connors said the Preston Redevelopment Agency (PRA) has “established a good relationship with the state.

“We went there to learn from them how to help us,” in regard to demolishing buildings, he said. Matching state grants, which went to use in Preston, interest Mr Connors, and he said he is looking to learn how to “tap into” state revenue from demolition. The authority chairman went to Preston with the idea of discovering “how to gain state and federal support.”

Preston’s volunteer group “is willing to help” the Fairfield Hills Authority, Mr Connors said.

The Wikipedia entry for Norwich Hospital says it was “originally established as Norwich State Hospital for the Insane and later shortened to Norwich Hospital, is located in Preston and Norwich, Connecticut. It opened its doors in October 1904, and though the number of patients and employees were drastically reduced, it remained operational until October 10, 1996. Norwich State Hospital was a mental health facility initially created for the mentally ill and those found guilty of crimes by insanity.”

On the Town of Preston website is a link to the Concept & Management Plan for the property. A summary explains that the town purchased 390 acres of the hospital property in 2009, referred to Preston Riverwalk overlooking the Thames River. PRA oversees the property development. Town, state and federal agencies have joined together to assist in remediation, renovation, and redeveloping the property. The Preston group also follows a Conceptual Management Plan.

No Zoning Amendment

Mr Connors wanted to clarify that as of late last year, zoning amendments for adaptive reuse at Fairfield Hills that could included housing or rental units are not on any agenda. Recent December forums regarding possible zoning changes to “allow a limited number of rental units at Fairfield Hills,” as stated in meeting summaries posted on the town website (here and here).

The authority chairman clarified that the Planning and Zoning Commission “has no plan” to put the topic on its agenda, and therefore, from the authority’s standpoint, “it is not something we need to consider.” In a follow up email, Mr Connors emphasized that “I think from our standpoint, the zoning amendment is no longer a consideration for P&Z and therefore [the authority] does not have to consider it at all. The amendment may come up again in the future, but for now it’s a nonexistent issue.”

Land Use Director George Benson confirmed Tuesday afternoon, February 24, that P&Z does not have such zoning amendments on any agenda, and there was “never a proposal.” Since those public meetings, Mr Benson said that regarding zoning amendments, “we are not making any decisions,” and his office is not pursuing at this time.”

He agreed that during the forums, public opposition to potential zoning changes was strong. “No action” is happening at a P&Z level or through the land use office, he confirmed.

Mr Connors on Monday explained to authority members and several residents in attendance, that, “I think what we acknowledged is that P&Z has chosen not to take it up as an amendment.”

Member Andrew Willie noted that since the authority had complied with a request to pay the moderator’s fee of $5,000 to host the forums, he would like to see a summary or report following the December dates.

Resident Bruce Walczak asked for clarity regarding the Master Plan for Fairfield Hills Redevelopment, and its role in the future of the campus. Authority members asked that he put into writing specific questions for them to consider. Mr Walczak was concerned about “erosion of responsibilities,” regarding Fairfield Hills redevelopment. He also fears that the housing questions in the future could be “back on the table,” he said.

Mr Willie had also said that “P&Z may bring it up again.”

“That’s beyond our control,” Mr Connors said.

Turning To Economics

Resident Kelley Johnson was glad to learn that the mixed use zoning possibility was “dead,” she said, and hoped to turn the conversation toward economics. It’s in her nature, she said, to “dream with the spirit of economics.”

Ms Johnson stressed that companies will “go where the creative talent is,” and that the authority and town could “drive [Fairfield Hills] as a venue to foster cultural arts” for example. Companies could relocate “where there are creative people,” she said. Her idea, she said, is to lure people with events.

“Drive that,” she said and “I think you’ll see … companies will want to be where activities are. Drive people together and drive economic development to Newtown.” Advertise it, she said. Promote that “messaging.”

Mr Connors followed Ms Johnson’s thoughts with a message of his own. As a volunteer group, he said the authority has spent “a lot of time listening.” Rather than be a “reactive body,” Mr Connors suggested telling residents “what we feel campus is all about.” He said that over the years “we’ve heard from every faction about how [the campus] should be used. It’s time for us to say what we believe.” He considered putting those thoughts into a statement. “I wanted to say that we should have a working document that says what we want and believe.” Ultimately he hopes to “come up with what we think should be happening.”

Economic Development Commission member Paul Fadus attended Monday’s meeting. Following Mr Connors’s comments, Mr Fadus said, “That’s our agenda for 2015. We would love to help with this.”

Authority member James Bernardi said he hopes the campus will become “the heartbeat of town.” The best thing they could do is take buildings down, he said. With the EDC’s help, they could best choose which buildings would be first razed.

Just prior to adjourning the February meeting, Mr Connors ended on an encouraging note: “I think we’re going to see some wonderful things on campus in the next couple of  years.”