P&Z Endorses Proposed Borough Retail/Office Complex

By ANDY GOROSKO

Published: Mar 12, 2004 12:00 am

By Andrew Gorosko

After making some planning recommendations, Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members have endorsed a developerâs proposal to build a three-building commercial complex on the prominent southwest corner of Church Hill Road and Queen Street in the borough.

P&Z members on March 4 reviewed the planning aspects of Church Hill & Queen, LLCâs, proposal to build a retail/office complex on a 2.1-acre site at 14-18 Church Hill Road. Because the borough does not have a planning agency, the P&Z makes planning recommendations to the Borough Zoning Commission on development proposals within the borough.

âI think the concept is great,â said P&Z Chairman William OâNeil in commenting on the firmâs plans to construct the complex at the site of the former Village Texaco gas station and the White Birch Inn. Both the service station and tavern were demolished. The site in the town center has stood vacant for years.

P&Z member Lilla Dean asked why the developer does not propose some physical linkage between its site and the adjacent Newtown Shopping Village at 6 Queen Street.

Attorney Charles Campbell, representing Church Hill & Queen, pointed out that the two sites are individual privately owned properties.

Developer Peter Wiehl said that plans call for extending sidewalk on Queen Street to the northern property line at Newtown Shopping Village.

P&Z member Robert Mulholland urged that an internal sidewalk be constructed to interconnect the two commercial properties to allow shoppers easy navigation between the two sites.

Mr Wiehl said that it is likely to become apparent where best to build such a sidewalk after shoppers have established some pathway through the area by walking between the two properties.

In endorsing the Church Hill & Queen proposal, P&Z members recommended that the developer strongly consider building some formal pathway that would link the proposed retail/office complex to area of the Dunkinâ Donuts store at Newtown Shopping Village.

P&Z members also recommended that the developer provide adequate visual screening for air conditioning equipment at its property.

The Borough Zoning Commission plans to conduct a public hearing on Church Hill & Queenâs retail/office proposal on April 14.

Church Hill & Queenâs application for the complex is one of the first projects to be subject to the new Village District zoning regulations, which seek to have new commercial construction in the borough be in âaesthetic harmonyâ with existing architecture.

The development proposal calls for 17,154 square feet of commercial space. A one-story 6,338-square-foot building would be built at 14 Church Hill Road, in the area where Village Texaco formerly stood. Two two-story buildings, each of which would contain 5,408 square feet of space, would flank the southwest corner of Church Hill Road and Queen Street. Each of the two two-story buildings would have only a partial second story. Overall, the complex would contain 13,986 square feet of retail space and 3,168 square feet of office space.

The ground-level spaces would have a general retail use. The second stories would be reserved for offices. The structures would be built in a modern version of the Colonial style.

The project would be served by a common parking lot located behind the three buildings, which would have spaces for 86 vehicles.

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Mr. Walczak, I read it multiple times before submitting my letter and again afterward. Nowhere in your letter do you mention Legislative Council. Regardless, you should know that the Board of Education has the greatest influence on budgets that ultimately come before Board of Finance and LC. In addition, I noted that you didn't respond to the more substantive issue highlighted in my letter -- school funding and impact on our residents. Your initial letter seemed to indicate that "Republicans" were misguided in challenging budget requests. Regardless of whether you were talking about LC or BOE, is it your position that 64.8% of every tax dollar is not enough to adequately fund our schools? Are you advocating to spend more money? It feels like your Letter to the Editor is at odds with your campaign pitch of affordability.

Responds To Walczak

It sounds like I hit a nerve! So let’s set the record straight, shall we… True - I did vote in favor of the municipal budget, which was a very reasonable 2.75%. Regarding not opening the BOE budget book in 2024, again, true. But what Chris & Eric failed to point out is that while I listened to all the predictable line items followed by predictable questions followed by predictable answers, and the Democrats predictably voting to give the BOE everything they asked for, I was the only LC member that concentrated on the side of the equation where 700 people in Newtown can’t pay their taxes, 400 rely upon the food pantry to put food on their table, and there are 115 homes that are in foreclosure. And while I am not on the BOE subcommittee, unlike my democratic friends, I made it a point to meet with the superintendent(s) both budget seasons face to face. So, to accuse me of “blindly” cutting the BOE budget is a blatant and despicable lie. What else did they lie about? Twenty-eight school positions were removed; the positions were never filled and the world survived. What else did they lie about? BOE passed in a bipartisan fashion? Half-lie: in 2024 they again tried to jam a 5% BOE tax increase through only to have it rejected at referendum. I proposed a 2.75% compromise that ultimately passed. What else did they lie about? My failure to mention the reduction in state aid and the increase in insurance premiums? Newtown needs to be run like an efficient company to be successful. I am not against education; I just want the school administration to make the most out of every dollar. Right now, $.66 out of every tax collected goes towards the BOE budget. And finally, my failure to offer solutions to raise revenue? I proposed a “Tanglewood model” compromise for 6 Commerce Road that could potentially generate in millions of dollars in revenue for the town. I proposed and am still in favor of an ordinance for peaceful protesting that would save the town potentially $225k in police overtime. My Democratic friends didn’t even want to consider that. And what solutions have C&E offered? Eric wanted to ADD $300K to the BOE budget for a kindergarten class that had no impact on learning Spanish! And Chis wanted the parents to pick up the tab for extracurricular activities THAT THEY ALREADY pay for. Don’t throw rocks if you live in glass houses. One of our main responsibilities on the Legislative Council is advocating taxpayers’ dollars in the best interests of the Town and trying to make it more affordable without degrading services. Unfortunately, the Democrats can’t run on “affordability” since they already jammed the residents of Newtown with a huge tax increase last year, but I still can. I am humbly asking for your support on or before Nov 4th. Thanks to C&E to giving me the opportunity to respond and clear everything up.

Democratic Response To Political Attack Letter

Not one question about the cost of implementing this system. Yes, there is a donation with strings attached. We've been there before and now we're bonding new monies regularly to maintain or repair those 'donations' like the community center. I think Deb is right to say she doesn't have enough information to make an informed decision. I'd like to know what it costs taxpayers to maintain & upgrade this system that seems to be on balance fairly unpopular.

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Mr. Leonardi should read my email again . I was referring to the LC republicans who all voted against the BOE budget.

I disagree. While I understand that many local Democrats are eager for a shift, now is not the time to hand over the town’s leadership to an untested and inexperienced candidate. Newtown faces real challenges — from infrastructure to responsible development — and those require steady, proven leadership, not someone still learning what the job entails. Experience matters. We have a seasoned First Selectman who has demonstrated the ability to manage complex projects, balance competing priorities, and keep the town moving forward with stability and accountability. The Democratic candidate’s only record of political leadership is a series of unsuccessful campaigns — in 2009, 2020, and again in 2023. That’s not experience; that’s persistence without results. Newtown deserves a leader who has already shown the ability to lead, not one who is still trying to prove they can. At a time when we need consistency and competence, let’s not gamble the town’s future on inexperience. Let’s stay the course with a First Selectman who knows the job, understands the community, and continues to put Newtown first.

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P&Z Endorses Proposed Borough Retail/Office Complex

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