Date: Fri 27-Feb-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Fairfield-Hills-P&Z

Full Text:

P&Z Hears From State In Review Of Fairfield Hills Zoning

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members are considering the state's

viewpoint on the future of Fairfield Hills in formulating a town rezoning plan

for the sprawling area.

Richard Nuclo, head of physical assets management for the state Office of

Policy and Management (OPM), February 19 said the rezoning plan proposed for

Fairfield Hills by a P&Z subcommittee is largely in agreement with the 1994

report on future uses of the property prepared by the Fairfield Hills Task

Force.

OPM supports designating a sizable portion of Fairfield Hills for conservation

and agricultural uses, Mr Nuclo said, adding that OPM endorses State Rep Julia

Wasserman's proposed legislation that adds another 50 acres to the 250 acres

which already has been designated for conservation and agriculture by the

state legislature. Adding 50 acres would result in approximately half of

Fairfield Hills being reserved for land conservation and agriculture.

Mr Nuclo pointed out, though, the state wants the town to designate more land

than was initially proposed for "adaptive reuse" at Fairfield Hills.

The state is not subject to town zoning regulations. Such a rezoning by the

P&Z would take effect if the state sells its holdings at Fairfield Hills. If

the state were to lease its property to a private party, it is legally unclear

whether new zoning designations would apply.

A P&Z subcommittee initially had proposed that only the "core campus" of

Fairfield Hills be designated for adaptive reuse, or new uses. Instead, OPM

wants that proposed zone to extend northward to Mile Hill Road, eastward to

Nunnawauk Road, and also to the northeastern boundary of the Nunnawauk Meadows

housing complex for the elderly.

That would increase the land for "adaptive reuse" from about 135 acres to

about 185 acres, according to OPM.

Such an expansion of the proposed adaptive-reuse zone would provide the state

with some adjacent open land to market along with the core campus, making the

offering more appealing to potential buyers or tenants, according to Mr Nuclo.

Renovating the existing deteriorated buildings at Fairfield Hills would be a

very expensive proposition, Mr Nuclo noted.

The state needs open land to market for new construction, otherwise some of

the existing Fairfield Hills buildings might have to be demolished to make way

for new construction, he said. He noted that the rezoning proposal pending

before the P&Z calls for the preservation of existing buildings.

Also, OPM would like the P&Z to provide some flexibility in terms of new

parking lot layouts at Fairfield Hills. Mr Nuclo questioned the practicality

of building parking garages at Fairfield Hills, saying they are very expensive

to build and don't even make economic sense to construct in a

densely-developed place like downtown Hartford.

Other Uses

Mr Nuclo suggested the P&Z add some permitted uses to the list which has been

developed by the P&Z rezoning subcommittee. Mr Nuclo recommended adding:

fitness centers, movie complexes, hotels, motels, conference centers,

greenhouses, and nurseries.

Mr Nuclo urged that town and state officials cooperate to provide future land

uses at Fairfield Hills that are acceptable to the town and the state.

Stephen Adams, a member of the P&Z rezoning subcommittee, recommended that P&Z

members tour the property on foot to gain a better sense of the land. Mr Adams

is a former P&Z chairman.

Mr Adams said it still must be resolved whether P&Z members will recommend to

the public whether golf courses should be permitted at Fairfield Hills. Mr

Adams does not support allowing golf courses, but subcommittee member Heidi

Winslow favors such a use.

P&Z Chairman Stephen Koch asked P&Z members to review the subcommittee's

proposals and Mr Nuclo's responses before discussing the matter at an upcoming

P&Z session.

After P&Z members make some recommendation to the public on the rezoning of

Fairfield Hills and hear public comments, the P&Z will act on the proposal.

Consultants

Andersen Consulting is studying future potential uses for the Fairfield Hills

campus. The consultants are expected to submit their ideas at a public

discussion session to be held in March or April.

Fairfield Hills closed as a state psychiatric institution in 1995 as the

Department of Mental Health (DMH) pursued its policy of patient

"deinstitutionalization."

P&Z members are considering rezoning Fairfield Hills with an eye toward

creating land use zones for land conservation, agriculture, adaptive re-use of

existing buildings and industrial development.

Following the hospital's closure, P&Z members began to realize that dense

residential development might occur at Fairfield Hills under its small-lot

residential zoning designation. Consequently, they formed a subcommittee to

study rezoning the land.