Fairfield Hills Panel Hears Plan For High-Tech Park

By Steve Bigham

A real estate development firm revived the somewhat dormant Fairfield Hills issue this week with a proposal that some felt sounded almost too good to be true.

The firm, Arthur Collins Enterprises of Greenwich, proposed to the Fairfield Hills advisory committee the creation of a high-tech business park that would bring in municipal revenue should Newtown decide to buy the campus from the state.

In its report Wednesday night, the firm pointed out that Newtown lies in an area perfectly situated to attract the rapidly expanding telecommunications and Internet industries. Arthur Collins is eyeing an 85-acre section of the Fairfield Hills campus, which it says could easily be transformed into a high-tech park. It has the right infrastructure, sits along Interstate 84, and provides the right environment, surroundings that today’s “dot.com” companies are looking for.

The Arthur Collins proposal claims the town could receive as much as $4-5 million in revenue each year with little impact on town services or schools. The plan calls for Arthur Collins to purchase the eight or nine large buildings in the inner core of the campus from the town. However, the town would retain ownership of the land beneath them and would receive “land rent” generated from the high-tech tenants who move in. Newtown would also receive real estate and property taxes, as well as a percentage of the revenues raised by Arthur Collins. In addition, the State of Connecticut is assisting towns in their efforts to create these “technology zones” by offering tax breaks, grants, etc.

The Arthur Collins proposal also calls for the town to retain a large portion (100 acres) of Fairfield Hills land for ball fields, parks, municipal space, schools, etc. In addition, the cost to restore, abate, and develop the buildings would be placed on the shoulders of Arthur Collins. The only cost to the town would be the purchase of the land and buildings from the state. That cost is not expected to be set anytime before Labor Day, according to First Selectman Herb Rosenthal.

There is no mention of any residential or large corporate development in the Arthur Collins proposal. According to Mr Collins, the plan simply entails marketing the site to the potential “end users” – the hundreds of expanding high-tech companies currently out there. Many of them are currently located in lower Fairfield County – an area that is both notoriously expensive and running out of office space.

Newtown resident Steve Matsis, a Stamford real estate broker, who has followed the Fairfield Hills issue closely, first informed Arthur Collins about the Newtown site. He heard the concerns from residents over the idea of a “corporate park” and felt he and Arthur Collins could provide the ideal solution.

“We believe we have a viable, doable concept here,” Mr Matsis said.

The plan calls for the re-development of Canaan, Kent, Shelton, and Greenwich houses and Bridgeport Hall. These five building represent 750,000 square feet of space, according to Arthur Collins, who attended the meeting. He said his firm would need time to bring in the tenants but believes strongly that it can happen.

“The key to all this is the end users. That’s going to take time and money,” Mr Collins said.

The Arthur Collins proposal appears to be consistent with the advisory committee’s report. However, its plan calls for an 85-acre park. The advisory committee’s report recommended only 38 acres be used for commercial development.

“Thirty eight acres is going to be tight,” Mr Collins said.

The advisory committee’s proposal recommended a mixed use for the 185-acre campus with much of the land being used for municipal use and the center core being reserved for revenue generation. The Board of Selectmen has not yet endorsed that report.

Legislative Council member John Kortze said the plan seems like a perfect fit for the town, but almost too good to be true, he added. He wondered why Arthur Collins is only now approaching the town after all these months. The state put forth a significant marketing campaign last year in an effort to attract big-time developers. At that time, only residential developers came forward.

“I think a lot of companies missed it,” Mr Rosenthal said.

Wednesday’s presentation was somewhat controversial in that it was originally intended for the Legislative Council. However, council chairman Pierre Rochman turned down Mr Rosenthal’s suggestion that it be placed on the agenda, saying now was not the appropriate time to hold such a meeting. Mr Rochman noted that when the time is right, the council would like to hear from several potential developers, not just Arthur Collins.

Advisory committee member Michael Floros pointed out this week, however, the meeting was slated simply to get additional information about the economic viability of developing Fairfield Hills. Arthur Collins is the first developer to suggest it could bring in more than $1 million annually to the town.