To The Editor:

Last week, I attended Planning & Zoning and watched a developer’s attorney tell our commission: Approve this project or face a lawsuit. That’s not partnership — that’s a threat. And it’s exactly what happens when we don’t plan proactively. We negotiate from weakness instead of strength.

Here’s the alternative: Rezone the I-84 corridor for 8,000-square-foot lots. Small enough for starter homes and downsizer cottages. Large enough for yards and New England character. That’s the conversation we should be having — not whether to grow, but how to build the Newtown that welcomes families home. Smart developers will see that it’s in their best interest to partner with us instead of fighting with us. They sell homes. Families buy homes. Everyone wins.

Local action is the best defense of local control. We can build our future on our terms, or wait for lawyers with lawsuits to choose for us.

Samuel S. Grummons

Newtown