In Partnership With The Town –

Becker Renews His Bid To Develop Fairfield Hills

By Steve Bigham

Last September, Bruce Becker and his antique car brought up the rear of the procession during Newtown’s annual Labor Day Parade.

At the time, the New Canaan developer said jokingly that he was hoping to earn a spot at the front of the line this year… in more ways than one. His intention was to have his company become the primary developer at Fairfield Hills.

But by December, Mr Becker had fallen out of favor with local town officials, who resisted his full-court press on the town. Preliminary moves by Mr Becker to nominate Fairfield Hills for placement on the National Register of Historic Places further irritated decision makers like First Selectman Herb Rosenthal. The town leader called it an “underhanded” move that could minimize the town’s ability to decide what to do with the buildings.

Mr Becker, it appeared, would be sitting out the 2000 Labor Day Parade all together.

But Mr Becker was spotted back in town this week trying to turn over a new leaf. He says the rumors about the National Register of Historic Places simply were not true and that his fortunes sank in Newtown simply over matters of perception.

In addition, he says, his latest proposal offers the town 100 or more acres of open space, a handful of buildings, and no town liability over what could be as much as $14-15 million in environmental cleanup costs.

“My sense is people are getting frustrated and may be interested in getting a fresh look,” he said Tuesday. “We have a plan that works and solves most of the problems for people. Nothing I’ve seen so far does that.”

This week, he unveiled a plan that he says will give the town all it needs while relieving it of the burden of going into the private development business.

“It’s a simultaneous closing where if the town decides not to purchase the entire property, the town would acquire 110 acres of open space and five buildings for town use. The balance of the buildings [over a million square feet] we would restore and redevelop and put on tax rolls, so the town doesn’t have to worry about managing that very complex, costly process itself,” he said.

His new plan increases the amount of office space from 200,000 square feet to 400,000 (since Cochran House is no longer being tabbed as a school). The remaining space would be used for 100 apartments with the balance being senior housing and assisted living.

“The YMCA is still a big part of our plan,” Mr Becker said.

 What made the Becker and Becker plan of a year ago unique was that much of the project was to be financed by others. The firm was seeking to forge “partnerships” with both the town and other organizations. It was, in a sense, offering others the opportunity to spend money. Its proposal did not include a lot of money to go along with its ideas.

For now, however, Mr Becker says he is simply waiting in the wings to see which direction Newtown goes in. He came back to Newtown knowing there were many in town who felt his “partnership with the town” proposal had merit.

Mr Becker believes his firm still sits atop the state’s list of prospective developers should the town vote against buying Fairfield Hills. In Newtown, Becker and Becker appeared to be the clear-cut favorite during the state’s selection process – a process that was suspended this past winter when the town exercised its right-of-first refusal to purchase the 185-acre property.

“If the town does not vote to purchase, I assume we’re the frontrunner,” he said.

But Mr Becker feels strongly that his plan would also work should the town decide to purchase the property from the state. He is hoping to get himself back on the agenda this summer.

And maybe Bruce Becker and his antique car will find themselves back in the Labor Day parade after all.