Condo-mania In Newtown

To the Editor:

Newtown has been caught up in the over-55 housing frenzy. Several newly built condo developments and pending proposals, such as Eagle Hill, illustrate the proverbial tail wagging the dog (developers/town). The critical factor affecting our town is that, if approved, these high-density condo developments will irrevocably and negatively impact the future of our town.

In a recent New York Times article (November 13, 2005), “A Building Boom for the Over-55 Crowd,” several Connecticut town planners raise concerns about the push by developers to saturate the landscape with these condo developments. According to Samuel Gold, a planner with the Council of Governments in Naugatuck, “This isn’t planning, this is land use as fiscal remedy. Connecticut towns are chasing after active-adult housing as a cash cow.” He goes on to say that when residents are in their 70s and 80s, the towns will be ill-equipped to provide services. In fact South Windsor’s developer of town planning said they’re seeing more impact on services, not less, with the addition of adult complexes in their town. Developers state that these condos are good for the town because the seniors aren’t a drain on the school system. However, several town planners have proven that senior services have increased drastically as a result of all these developments.

Another concern is that after the baby-boom wave is over, there will be a dramatic drop-off in that age group and a glut of senior condos on the market. Helen Riggins, Berlin’s director of development said, “It’s also a worry that they could become regular condos, that the owners might come back to us and request regular zoning.” So these condo complexes can, in effect, circumvent Newtown’s zoning rules and open the door for regular condos throughout town. If our town planners are not vigilant to these trends, Newtown can quickly become an exburb of Westchester.

Several forward-thinking Connecticut towns are already enacting building moratoriums on age-restricted condo developments. They are proactively reviewing the appropriate land use direction for their towns. Newtown should do the same.

Although preserving the character and the picturesque, historic, and rural setting of our town is a nice goal, it is not a master plan. Recent best practices in town planning are proving that Newtown is not keeping up with the latest directions in planning. Unfortunately, at present in Newtown, the developers are calling the shots.

Zoltan Csillag

10 Walnut Tree Hill Road, Sandy Hook             November 16, 2005