Newtown Savings Bank is pleased to announce that two of the Bank’s Mortgage Bankers, William R. Hart, Jr, and Steven J. Greenberg, have been recognized as top Connecticut loan originators for 2017.
Members of the Newtown Chamber of Commerce, First Selectmen Dan Rosenthal, and many local residents came out to be part of the BD Provisions specialty grocery store’s official launch November 10.
Friends and fellow business professionals gathered and mingled at Dr Della M. Schmid’s chiropractic office, 19 Church Hill Road, for “Chianti & Chiropractic” on the evening of November 1.
Business name: Villarina’s Pasta Shop of Newtown
Address: 20 Church Hill Road, Newtown
Owner: Ingrid Schneider
Background: Ms Schneider, a Danbury resident and longtime friend of the V...
Business name: Patricia’s Presents
Address: 164 Greenwood Avenue, Bethel
Owner: Patricia “Patti” Polk
Business background: I am a graduate of FIT — Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC...
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage moves from South Main Street to The Village At Lexington Gardens, 32 Church Hill Road, and hosts a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Newtown Chamber of Commerce on the evening of October 4 to celebrate its new location.
A growing number of chefs and restaurant operators are getting as excited about creating specials for the 2018 Newtown/Sandy Hook Restaurant Week as foodies and hungry patrons are to sample them.
Berkshire Motors in Sandy Hook is now selling and servicing a line of Wolf Brand Scooters, long with American-made motorcycles from Ohio’s Cleveland CycleWerks, and Janus Motocycles of Goshen, Ind.
Newtown Parks & Recreation is partnering with the Chamber of Commerce of Newtown to present the first Newtown Day community event on Saturday, October 6, from 11 am to 5 pm.
Bruce’s letter paints a picture of runaway development, but the real story is the collapse of local cooperation — not the rise of §8-30g. That law has been on the books since 1990. For decades, towns and developers worked together to shape projects that made sense: added sidewalks, deeper setbacks, fewer units — genuine compromise.
What’s changed isn’t the law, it’s the politics. A loud social media mob has made any compromise politically toxic. The “no growth” crowd demands nothing be built anywhere, ever, and bullies anyone who suggests otherwise. Planning and zoning boards no longer negotiate; they hunker down, hoping to appease the Facebook comment section.
But here’s the irony — when compromise dies, developers stop compromising too. Once a project triggers §8-30g, the town can fight it, but state law ensures the developer will eventually win. So instead of working out a reasonable design, everyone heads to court. The developer doubles the unit count to pay for the lawyers, and the town burns taxpayer money trying to lose more slowly.
That’s how we end up with the very projects the NIMBY mob fears — because they made reasonable development impossible.
If people truly care about Newtown’s character, they need to stop the performative outrage and start engaging in real planning again. Screaming “no” to everything isn’t preservation — it’s self-sabotage.
I’m honestly surprised Bruce had to look up what an “agreement in principle” means. After years of business experience and managing 200 people, I would have expected that term to be familiar by now. Hard to believe it’s a new concept at this stage in his career. Although rest assured Newtown, vote row A and when times get tough, we have Google to help the selectman.
I asked AI what does agreement in principle mean
An "agreement in principle" is a preliminary, non-binding understanding reached between two or more parties that outlines the fundamental terms of a future contract. It is considered a stepping stone toward a formal, legally enforceable agreement.
This type of agreement is used to establish mutual intent and a basic framework for negotiations before the parties commit to a detailed, final contract.
