His statement came amid a flurry of conversation as Fairfield Hills Master Plan Review Committee members speculated about reuse plans for the former state hospital buildings and grounds on Monday, September 27.

Familiarizing themselves with the prospects concerning the 180-plus acres contained within Fairfield Hills, members tossed questions at the campus’s sole broker, who spoke Monday offering his perspective during public participation.

Committee member Alan Shepard asked Mr Struna, “Would you say we’re going in the right direction?”

The prior hour’s discussion had focused on potential tenants and lease agreements, costs of demolition or rehabbing the nearly 80-year-old buildings, commercial possibilities, and ultimately, “what the town wants to do,” Mr Shepard said. Committee Chairman Michael Floros clarified this week: “Housing is currently not in the existing master plan. It is our responsibility as the review committee to determine if the master plan should be changed and if that change should include allowing housing.”

Currently, several buildings have been marked for reuse, and a 30-year lease arrangement is on the table for developers.

“I don’t think the numbers work with a lease,” said Mr Shepard, adding that fact was evident. “No one is knocking at our doors. If you ask for the lease amount up front, and [the costs of] rehabbing the building, and then in 30 years you give it back to the town?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t make sense,” concurred member Deborra Zukowski.

Building reuse is “one of the biggest” points for the review committee to weigh, she said.

As the evening’s discussion wore down, Mr Shepard asked Mr Struna if the committee was “looking at things correctly.”

After meeting with an assortment of developers, he admitted, “I learn from these guys.” Based on his experience in the field and discussions with developers, he again raised the topic of housing, “One of the components is the residential component.” He is also aware that as the original master plan of five years ago came together, housing was crossed form the list. “No one wanted that,” he said.

“Developers are saying that nothing is going to be sustainable without a residential component,” Mr Struna cautioned the committee before adding he has asked business owners, including several from Newtown, “Would you go there?”

The responses were negative, he told them.

Ms Zukowski wondered asked if the broker was talking about retail developers, after which Mr Shepard added, “The only way to get numbers to work is with residential …”

Jumping back into the conversation, Mr Struna said, “I am not saying the whole thing, no one wants that, but a component. That is the overwhelming response from the people who know about this stuff.”

Developers would be investing millions, he said.

“They all say they need a residential component to make it work,” Mr Struna said, “before you get the coffee shops, the restaurants.”

“But not office-based?” asked Ms Zukowski.

“That also,” he answered. “When you build a building in a neighborhood with nobody else, you have a huge risk factor.”

Repeating points he made at a recent Fairfield Hills Authority meeting, Mr Struna reminded the review committee members that when viewing buildings such as Woodbury and Newtown Halls on an individual basis, investors could be several million dollars “into a building, before they pay the town a penny.” Those numbers “did not work,” he stressed. “So, how long until someone comes here and renovates? A long, long time,” he said.

As the buildings’ square footage approaches 200,000 square feet, numbers do begin to work, he said. In a previous meeting he had mentioned the idea of attracting a master developer to tackle all or a large part of the campus.

Doctors’ offices, coffee shops, lawyers, etc, would work well mixed with residential — especially in the duplexes, he suggested. Another previous idea involved renovating Cochran House into roughly 160 apartments.

“Has anyone tossed out the idea — ‘If I could just purchase 40 acres?’” asked committee member Paul Lundquist.

“That could be,” said Mr Struna. Plans currently specify that Newtown will retain ownership of Fairfield Hills.

“What is the property worth with no buildings on it?” asked Ms Zukowski.

Assessing a roughly 40-acre area containing buildings slated for renovation, he estimated a value of more than $10 million.

“It’s something to be considering,” he said, advising members to search the term “smart growth” and indicated, “Fairfield Hills is 75 there, except for the residential component.”

The current master plan does not include housing or apartments among the campus reuses. First Selectman Pat Llodra has asked the committee to keep their minds open and hear all possibilities as they assess the current master plan, and revisit plans for the future of Fairfield Hills.