Hearing On Town Plan Draws Comments On Open Space, Taxes, And Growth

By Andrew Gorosko

The need to preserve local open space land while diversifying the property tax base through commercial and industrial development was among the topics raised by residents as the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) began work last week on a 21-month project to update the town’s decennial Plan of Conservation and Development.

P&Z members listened to residents’ comments on the town’s future during a two-hour session March 29 at the Booth Library. About 30 people attended.

During the next 21 months, P&Z members, with the aid of interested residents, will formulate the 2003 town plan, which is intended to serve as a conceptual framework for local land conservation and growth through the year 2013.

The 2003 town plan will be developed after a decade of rapid local growth during which the local population increased by 20.5 percent between 1990 and 2000, rising from 20,779 to 25,031 residents.

P&Z Chairman Daniel Fogliano said that more than 20 people attending the session had placed their names on a list as being interested in helping the P&Z develop the town plan. That pool of volunteers may be divided into groups, which would address various aspects of the planning project, he said.

“We’d like to involve the community [in plan preparation] as much as possible,” said Elizabeth Stocker, the town’s community development director.

First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal said the turnout at the P&Z meeting indicates there is much interest in formulating the public policy document, which the P&Z will use during the course of a decade for guidance in making land use decisions. Mr Rosenthal commended the P&Z for expanding the 1993 town plan in 1998 to address Hawleyville development and conservation issues, and amending the plan again in 1999 to address the preservation of local scenic views.

Open Space

Resident Judy Holmes, who is a Conservation Commission member and the owner of Fox View Farm on Hundred Acres Road, stressed the importance of preserving the town’s rural character.

Ms Holmes endorsed the creation of “cluster zoning,” under which residences are clustered on a section of a land parcel to keep surrounding land on that parcel open and undeveloped. “I think it would do a lot of good things for Newtown,” she said.

To maintain the “ruralness” of Newtown, the town must maintain an attitude of “horse friendliness,” she said, explaining that encouraging the keeping of horses helps preserve open space land. If the town acquires a reputation of not being “horse-friendly,” the land where horses are now kept might be developed in the future, she said.

 Resident Rich Fennaroli of Tomahawk Trail said, “I would like to see more commercial development in Newtown.” The P&Z could take the initiative to rezone land for new commercial and industrial development, he said.

Resident Richard Jablonski of High Rock Road stressed the need to encourage commercial growth. The creation of strip-style development has meant the town has lost opportunities for better-planned forms of commercial development, he said. The potential uses of Fairfield Hills and Hawleyville must be closely reviewed in formulating the town plan, he said.

 Mr Jablonski said an increasing number of residents will be on fixed incomes in the coming years. An expanded commercial tax base is necessary to support public spending for schools and roads, he said. Otherwise, taxes would rise to a point where people would be forced to move from town, he said.

How the town manages traffic flow and protects the local environment should be high priorities in the town plan, he said.

Resident Robert Hall of Nettleton Avenue said the town plan is influenced by how the P&Z reacts to various development applications submitted to it. Mr Hall, who is a local attorney, asked P&Z members not to place unnecessary obstacles in the way of development applications. Mr Hall said that if an application meets the spirit of the town plan, the P&Z should not be overly technical in reviewing that application. The P&Z should keep its land subdivision regulations current, he added.

“Please encourage good development, as opposed to rushed development,” he said. How the town develops is not only based on the intent of the town plan, but also on how local zoning and subdivision regulations are implemented, he said.

A well-designed cluster-style residential development can help keep the landscape open, he said.

Mr Hall said he generally opposes the creation of multi-family housing. “I would hope that you would keep [multi-family housing] to an absolute bare minimum,” Mr Hall said.

Resident Michael Snyder of Megans Circle told P&Z members that commercial development would help offset the burden of future tax increases.

Lawrence Haskel, chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission, said the town sorely needs additional athletic fields and a community center. The town is hard pressed to meet current public demand for such facilities, he said. The need for a community center was expressed in the 1993 town plan, he noted.

Resident Pat Denlinger of Grand Place urged that the P&Z back cluster-style residential development, as an alternative to allowing the town to be subdivided into small residential lots.

Resident Robert Sibley of Berkshire Road urged that preserving open space land be given equal weight with the need for residential, commercial, and industrial development.

Resident Cindy Miller similarly spoke of the need to preserve open space. “Once we pave it, we’ve lost it forever,” she said. To be useful, open space parcels must be connected to other open space parcels, she said. Ms Miller urged creation of a trail network to serve horseback riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

Resident Barry Piesner of Alpine Drive said commercial development is very important to the future of the town. A broadened commercial tax base can offset the negative financial effects of residential growth, he said. Mr Piesner said many of the recommendations made in the 1993 town plan have not been implemented.

Resident Caroline Stokes of Church Hill Road in Sandy Hook said the town should not lose its historic character amid its growth.

Resident Robert Stokes said Sandy Hook Center should become a historic district, adding that he hopes its appearance does not change.

Resident Jane Nickerson of Bridle Path Trail, president of the Newtown Bridle Lands Association, said the association encourages creation of a trail system that follows major local roads. Ms Nickerson said the presence of local horse farms attracts people to Newtown who support the local economy. The P&Z should modify the zoning regulations to legitimize surreptitious local horse farming, she said.

Kim Danziger of Stonewall Ridge Road, a local developer, said cluster housing would maintain existing open space areas. The P&Z’s past placement of restrictions on earth moving on new residential lots is too limiting in terms of land development, he said. The P&Z’s past placement of restrictions on grading alongside roads in subdivisions results in a need to create unsightly retaining walls, he added.

“Give us good regulations and we’ll build good houses and subdivisions. Give us bad regulations and we’ll build bad houses and bad subdivisions,” he said.

Mr Danziger noted the town could purchase the development rights to properties, such as farms, to prevent future development. Buying such development rights is much less costly than buying the property outright. He urged that the P&Z create regulations that preserve the town’s character.

Rapid Growth

Resident Joanne Maurer of Walnut Tree Village, a real estate agent, said growth and development can pose problems for a community. Newtown is not the sleepy town it was 28 years ago when she moved here, she said. Other area towns besides Newtown are facing growth pressures, she said. Formulating a town plan is not an easy task when many competing interests must be balanced, she said.

Ms Maurer noted that some local roads are in poor condition, saying that improvements are needed. Municipal budgets must contain a set of priorities, she said, adding, “The ideal things aren’t always going to happen.”

Resident Mary Atkinson of Pocono Road said the town should either increase its commercial base to generate more tax revenue or should limit local development. Growth during the past several years has placed great pressures on the public schools, she said.

Resident Meg Maurer of Stonegate Drive said open space is not only useful for horseback riding, but also useful for athletic fields and swimming pools. Horse owners represent only one percent of the local population, she said. “Special interest groups should not be the final word [about] the direction in which this town goes,” she said.

 Mr Rosenthal said the town’s acquisition of open space land is directly linked to the public’s willingness to spend money to buy such land. A commitment to acquiring open space implies a commitment to purchasing it, he said.

Resident Dennis Dougherty of Pocono Road the town should buy Fairfield Hills from the state and decide that property’s future. Fairfield Hills has the potential to satisfy many of the town’s needs, including open space, athletic fields, and commercial development, he said.

“It’s a huge site right in the middle of town, and it would be a shame to have someone other than Newtown decide its future,” he said.

Resident Cindy Fogliano of Brushy Hill Road said she fears that local traffic congestion is becoming similar to the congestion in lower Fairfield County towns, such as Stamford.

Ms Fogliano said she moved to Newtown about a decade ago to get away from problems such as traffic congestion. She urged P&Z members not to allow strip-style development. Commercial growth, and preferably corporate growth, should be situated with easy access to Interstate 84 and away from residential areas, she said.

Mr Fogliano, the P&Z chairman, said local residents often do not appreciate the need to preserve open space because open space is locally abundant. In other towns, where there is little open space remaining, open space is more highly valued, he said. The P&Z must address how to preserve open space before it disappears, he said.

Ms Stocker said the March 29 session produced many constructive comments. The community development director said she hopes the level of public interest in formulating the 2003 town plan remains high through 2002 as the plan is developed.

A town plan serves as a conceptual framework for accomplishing community goals. It is a public policy guide for P&Z decision-making on development applications, and it helps set the agenda for future action.

P&Z members often cite whether a particular development application adheres to the concepts in the town plan, or violates those concepts, in approving or rejecting the application.

The 1993 town plan contains sections on population, natural resources, the environment, land use, development, circulation, the economic base, housing, utilities, open space, and recreation. The plan analyzes existing conditions, sets goals and objectives, and makes planning recommendations. It describes how its goals can be implemented.