‘Connecticut is a beautiful place, which is part of the appeal. What happens if you carve that up and lose it?’                    —Dennis Schain,                                bb DEP communications specialist

Preserving Newtown’s Skyline

By Kendra Bobowick

Few clear lines of sight remain unaltered by development in Fairfield County, yet the state’s oldest land trust hopes to protect Newtown’s horizon.

“Residential development is a force continuing to happen and the environment in this area is at risk,” said Newtown Forest Association (NFA) member Bob Eckenrode.

Adding to Mr Eckenrode’s sentiments is NFA Treasurer Guy Peterson, who said, “There are very few places in Connecticut left with views of nondeveloped property or of open space that provides protection of plants and animals.”

Preserving the open spaces is the association’s first step. Sharing the spaces is also on the association’s list of priorities. One brochure answers the question, “What is there to do on these protected properties?”

Providing an answer is brochure information welcoming residents to “walk the trailed preserves that are open to the public from dawn to dusk. Many of our larger properties have large hiking trail systems, however, not all are mapped.” More than 60 properties contribute to the roughly 1,100 acres owned outright by the Newtown Forest Association. These parcels are dispersed throughout town. The brochure further explains that the NFA is “dedicated to accumulating and preserving open space and natural resources for public enjoyment…”

Newtown’s expansive geography is appealing to both preservation-minded organizations and to developers, which is noted by the association.

“We’re fortunate in Newtown to have opportunities to protect property, but it’s a struggle because of developers. This area is one of only a few places that can accommodate development,” Mr Peterson said.

Daunted by his own prediction is member Tim Northrop, who anticipates what he calls a generational shift in land ownership. His primary concerns are the farms and forestlands that may change hands.

Also eliciting frowns of concern is a flux in property ownership.

“A lot of landowners are becoming elderly and in 10–15 years there will be a transfer of wealth and land and a lot of parcels in Newtown will be changing hands,” Mr Northrop said. He therefore hopes to draw attention to the NFAs preservation efforts.

“Otherwise, [landowners] may think about developing their property,” he said. “The challenge is that land is so expensive now that people may see dollar signs.”

Local real estate quotes put an average lot at roughly $270,000, with larger five-acre lots ready for development at more than $600,000.

Association President Martha Wright believes the diminishing open space is taking its toll on residents.

She explained, “People come to Newtown for the open space, for the trees and land. Development gets a hold of it and then it’s megamansions.”

Ms Wright said, “To me being in the woods is opening your spirit to a sense of calm but in subdivisions the people are locked in their houses.” She also notes how the lots are cleared to make way for lawns, which she views unfavorably.

Expressing a need for wooded areas she said, “You have space to go into where you can shake off the electronic media, plus you get some exercise.”

Love Of The Land

Developers also value Newtown’s land.

Toll Brothers Division President Greg Kamedulski spoke on behalf of the nationwide luxury homebuilders.

He does not believe developers are clashing with preservation efforts. “The bottom line, I don’t see conflicts with open space and conservation,” said Mr Kamedulski. His firm’s primary competition for land is other developers, he said.

Offering the developer’s perspective, Mr Kamedulski said, “Every property owner has a right to seek the highest and best use for the property.”

He said, “There are a lot of instances where we have created win-win scenarios. We have been able to develop parcels and give some space to conservation groups,” which is what his company tries to do, he said.

He also explained, “We usually come to understandings with the conservation groups.” Providing one example, he noted an Oak View Road project, saying, “We’re going to deed about ten acres of open space, and that is voluntary.” The overall parcel is roughly 50 acres, he said. Regulations require a far smaller percentages of developers’ land be reserved as open space.

Toll Brothers asserts on its website that the company “believes that preserving the natural environment is an integral part of creating a community you’ll be proud to call home. We take our commitment to environmental stewardship seriously. Nationwide, Toll Brothers encourages environmental awareness by partnering with conservation groups such as the National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society, earning community certifications for programs such as Backyard Wildlife Habitats and Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries for Golf Courses, respectively. These certifications assure our residents that the natural beauty of their communities will remain a proud legacy for generations to come.”

Before You Sell

Newtown Forest Association members hope to recruit support through education.

Mr Peterson noted that the NFA lands and state forests “could be the only open space left in Newtown.” He aims to educate residents about options for preserving additional space in the future.

Mr Northrop expressed a strong desire to speak with residents about preservation. “We are a group that would love to meet with landowners and would love to talk about receiving a piece of property to preserve.”

Stressing his point, he said, “The message we want to get out…we want land owners to know that if they want to see property protected, there is always the NFA.”

Bequests, donations, and easements are several ways of ensuring that private land comes into the NFA’s possession and will therefore be permanently preserved, members explain.

Department of Environmental Protection Agency Communications Specialist Dennis Schain, also an environmental advocate, believes that drawing residents’ attention to environmental options is critical.

“The key is to build awareness for land preservation,” he said. “I heard a great line once, ‘They’re just not making any more land.’ Once you use it, it’s gone so you want to be really careful about how land decisions are made.” He offered his knowledge about the general impacts of development on a town, citing pollution and strain on natural resources as top drawbacks.

“It would impact the habitat, the resources, air quality,” he said. He refers to one familiar environmental predicament facing DEP officials.

“The question we grapple with is how do we encourage wise land use planning with the business we need to grow while protecting the environment,” Mr Schain said. “There are appropriate ways to help preserve the character and nature of the state. Connecticut is a beautiful place, which is part of the appeal.”

Rhetorically he asked, “What happens if you carve that up and lose it?” He added, “We’re not living here because it’s a cheap place to live.”

State plans provide guidelines for town approaches to conservation and development, and are an effort “to maintain and manage growth and development,” Mr Schain said.

For example, a link to the state Office of Policy and Management site, www.opm.state.ct.us, leads to literature stating, “This plan embraces both the conservation and the development of the state because these goals are integrally linked. An economy that creates good jobs and that safeguards public health and the environment will be stronger and more resilient than one that does not. A state that protects its ecosystems and manages its natural resources wisely lays a far stronger base for future prosperity than one that carelessly uses its assets and destroys its natural capital…

“To achieve a vision of sustainable development some things must grow — jobs, productivity, capital and savings, information, knowledge, education. Others, such as pollution, waste, poverty, habitat loss, energy and material use per unit of output, must not. Ways must be found to leave future generations a more prosperous community with a more productive and competitive economy as well as a cleaner, more resilient environment…”

Conceding that the population is growing, Mr Schain said an important part of environmentally responsible development is, “where you build and how you build it.”

An Economic Hit

Expressing a developer’s view, Toll Brothers representative Mr Kamedulski considered the impact of putting a stop to development. “The economy would take a tremendous hit,” he said. “So much of it is driven by the building industry.”

Effects would reach all the way to the private individual, in his view.

“Property owners would have their properties devalued,” he said. Conversely, he believes that development poses a boost to the community.

“It benefits property owners,” he said, and also benefits the future buyers who will move into a new home. “It benefits the owners and the economy.”

Economic Development Commissioner Bruce Walczak agrees that to an extent development will boost employment for tradesmen such as plumbers electricians, and others associated with housing developments.

“It does create some economic activity,” he said.

About one year ago, the commission had a conversation specifically about whether residential development, including communities for those 55 years old and older, was beneficial.

“We concluded, no,” Mr Walczak said. “From our perspective residential building didn’t really fall into a category of things we wanted to spend time on.”

Speaking in general terms, he said that some developers make a “pitch” for 55 and over communities. “They explain [55 and over developments] don’t strain the school system and are good from a tax point of view.”

He does not agree, saying, “That argument doesn’t hold any water for me.”

Essentially, displacement occurs; older residents will move out of their single-family homes and into the newly built 55 and over residences and families, possibly with children, will move into their previous homes, Mr Walczak said. Ashlar of Newtown and similar facilities present a commercial factor that “creates ongoing jobs,” he said.

The commission is not focused on builders, as another member points out.

Member Robert Rau stressed that the commission is primarily concerned with business growth. As far as residential development in relation to the economy, Mr Rau said, “The commission has taken the position that whatever the builders say, it’s not the kind of economic development we’re involved in. We are more interested in bringing in businesses.”

Finding Common Ground

Conservationists and developers alike have some place to turn for answers.

The Plan of Conservation and Development (PCOD) acts as a guide and is “used as a basis for planning in town,” said Land Use Agency Conservation Officer Rob Sibley.

Referencing this document to guide in decisions are groups including the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Conservation Commission, and more, Mr Sibley said.

As the Newtown Forest Association eyes what some members perceive to be potentially dwindling natural habitats, Mr Sibley feels the conservation plan accommodates these concerns.

Regarding development proposals, he said the plan is an “attempt to balance between what you want to accomplish and what is possible…” Zoning regulations in part define what is possible while wetlands concerns may also come into the equation. Further, the plan is “always” evolving, Mr Sibley said. “This is a living and active document.”

He said, “The plan could be pointed to as a resource” when new instances and applications come before the commissions regularly, for example. In this way, the plan is flexible unlike rigid regulations, and therefore, “stretches the possibilities.”

However, conservationists worry that possibilities may be dwindling along with the town’s potential open space.

As forest association member Tim Northrop and others grow apprehensive about the coming decade’s land ownership changes, Mr Sibley discusses a bright side he has seen with his own first-hand experiences with land changing hands among generations.

“I have empty nesters or children who receive an estate and a lot of times they look at other opportunities besides straight development,” he explained, and unfortunately, their attempts may be hindered.

“They may be looking for guidance and without it they just develop [the property],” Mr Sibley said. A local land trust, in Newtown’s case the Newtown Forest Association, “is the best way to set aside property in perpetuity.”

More land for the association is ultimately more land for everyone explained Mr Eckenrode.

“Our plans include not only acquiring and utilizing properties, but opening them up to the neighbors,” he said. “Our plans are to make properties available to anyone in town.”

Mr Northrop stressed that, “We invite people to enjoy the properties.”

Members will also lean on public support. “We want to get people involved, not just in the hiking but helping with stewardship,” said Mr Northrop. “If we have neighbors we would love to see them steward a parcel near their yard.”

2013

The Plan of Conservation and Development, Vision of Newtown in 2013 states that “the goal of the Town of Newtown is to protect and enhance its picturesque, rural, historic New England setting and attributes. The architecture and landscaping of all types of properties will be designed to protect the image of a rural and historic town. Over the next ten years various town agencies will work in concert to maintain a suitable variety of homes for its citizens taking into account varying lifestyles and economic capabilities while providing and developing equal recreational activities and facilities for everyone, according to the plan.

“We will work together as a town to promote and protect open space, farmland and trails throughout the town always maintaining an environmentally active position protecting our aquifers, wetlands and other ecologically sensitive areas. Education for Newtown’s children will continue to excel in quality and efficiency. Newtown will succeed in attracting commercial businesses at a rate equal to its growth and the design of the town’s roads and traffic patterns will enhance business development while minimizing traffic congestion for the residents…”

The Newtown Forest Association is a private, nonprofit organization started in 1923 with a group of individuals trying to protect the land, and has grown over the years. Many properties — more than 60 — have been donated and the association maintains these parcels. The members’ mission is to protect properties’ natural resources and offer passive recreation to the public.

The Newtown Forest Association, Inc plans an annual meeting and membership night for May 19 at 7 pm at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library.

The NFA has also invited Claire Delavigne to discuss the recent trend of Geocaching.

“Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for GPS users. Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the wonderful features and capability of a GPS unit. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the Internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is if they get something they should try to leave something for the cache.”

Clues will be announced for finding the caches.

Respond in advance at 270-3650 or visit nfatreasurer@yahoo.com.

(The Newtown Bee is interested in readers’ thoughts on the subject of conservation and development. Contact Kendra@thebee.com)