To the Editor:

When I was elected as an alternate member of the Planning and Zoning Commission last November, I was excited by the opportunity to participate in the development of the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), a document that sets out a vision for Newtown for the next ten years. We have had a pretty good amount of public participation in its creation, and having the community think about these issues and register their preferences is a critical piece. But because the POCD is a guidance document and not an enforceable mandate, we run the risk of it becoming “all things to all people” and therefore not an actionable plan.

These are my personal views and do not purport to represent those of my fellow Commissioners.

Newtown needs its political leaders to publicly articulate a vision of what they think Newtown should look like in ten years and how we should get there. That vision has to be more than “let’s see how Fairfield Hills works out.” Although the future development of the Fairfield Hills campus is undoubtedly important, the proposed Castle Hill residential development and the ongoing discussion about the proper use of 6 Commerce Drive show that the proper mix of open space and residential development is on many of our neighbors’ minds.

Our town and school budgets are being impacted by increased costs, and some of that increased burden will undoubtedly flow down to the taxpayers. What commercial development is being considered that can help defray some of those costs? I have not seen any public presentations by the Director of Economic and Community Development on what initiatives are being pursued, or, indeed what projects he is pursuing for Newtown’s future. Is Newtown going to be nothing more than a large (and expensive) public park?

Rather than formulate planning policy by ad hoc reactions to individual applications, there needs to be a vision put forward by the First Selectman and the Board of Selectmen. No plan can be implemented random piece by random piece. Let’s get our elected town leaders out there on the record in a meaningful way so that we can stop “planning by reacting” to what developers may bring forward at any particular time.

Peter Schwarz

Newtown