Date: Fri 04-Oct-1996

By ANDY GOROSKO

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

P&Z-Hawleyville-homeowners

Full Text:

Homeowners Group Proposes Zone Change For Hawleyville

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

To prevent a large section of Hawleyville from being put to land uses it

considers undesirable, the North Newtown Homeowners Association is seeking a

change of zone for 175 acres.

The association is seeking a change of zone from R-2 (Residential/Farming) to

P-1 (Professional) for land bounded on the east by Hawleyville Road, bounded

on the west by Farrell Road, and bounded on the south by the Housatonic

Railroad train tracks. The property has multiple owners.

P-1 zones allow the presence of single-family houses, but are intended for

office buildings used solely by professional persons, including real estate

sales, insurance agencies, and medical and dental laboratories. Such

facilities may contain a maximum of five offices and a maximum of 10,000

square feet of gross floor area. Larger professional office buildings are

allowed by special exceptions to the regulations. Also allowed in P-1 zones

are one-family homes containing professional offices.

In pursuing a change of zone, the association is "seeking to fall in line with

the (town) plan of development," Lilla Dean, homeowners association president,

said Tuesday.

The town's 1993 plan of development calls for the economic development of

Hawleyville to broaden the town's property tax base. The plan of development

is a planning tool which identifies the town's land use goals and objectives.

Land in Hawleyville with P-1 zoning might be marketed through the town's

Economic Development Commission (EDC), Ms Dean said.

The proposed change of zone is intended to foster the kind of development that

association members believe the environmentally fragile land can support, she

said.

Association members say that getting P-1 zoning in the area offers the best

compromise between generating additional property taxes for the town and

protecting the area's environment.

The property proposed for the zone change is vacant except for 11 houses on

Hawleyville Road and Farrell Road.

The long-dormant homeowners association became active last year when a

development group proposed a change of zone in Hawleyville to prepare the way

for construction of an exposition center. Connecticut Expo Development wanted

a change of zone for residential property to (M-5) Industrial for the

Connecticut Exposition and Performance Events Center (CEPEC). The developers

wanted to build a 100,000-square-foot hall to stage a variety of trade shows,

public shows and exhibitions.

Hawleyville residents protested the plans, charging that such a facility's

presence would generate intolerable traffic and damage the character of the

area.

P&Z members rejected the change of zone proposal for the exposition hall,

preventing further planning work on the project.

The exposition hall would have been built on a section of the 175-acre tract

proposed for the change of zone by the homeowners association.

The CEPEC proposal was a project Hawleyville couldn't tolerate, Ms Dean said.

She stressed that the area doesn't have sanitary sewers or a public water

supply.

A state-backed planning study is underway to determine what transportation

facilities will be needed to foster Hawleyville's future economic development.

In a letter to the P&Z, Ms Dean writes the homeowners group has approximately

150 members who live in Hawleyville. The group proposes the zone change "to

attract desirable investment" to the area, she said.

Having P-1 zoning in Hawleyville would be the basis for attractive and

structured growth and would be an asset for the Exit 9 area of Interstate-84,

according to Ms Dean.

The homeowners association plans to contact the owners of the property

proposed for a change of zone to encourage them to join the homeowners

association and endorse its proposal for a change of zone, Ms Dean said.

Most developers won't consider building in an area unless the zoning

regulations for that area are clear, according to Ms Dean.

The association knows of no immediate commercial interest in the property for

which the zone change is sought, she said.

The P&Z has scheduled a public hearing for November 21 on the change of zone

request.

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Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

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Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 04-Oct-1996

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