Business name: Cruise Planners
Address: Based out of her home office in Sandy Hook
Owner: Liz Davies
Business background: Cruise Planners celebrated its officially ribbon-cutting cerem...
RIDGEFIELD - The idea for David Kaye's Nod Hill Brewery was fermenting for years before he and his fiance Sarah Zitnay met up with head brewer Kyle Acenowr and found their ultimately cool taproom spac...
The Chamber of Commerce of Newtown and The Rotary Club of Newtown announce the 2018 Business of the Year Award program.
This communitywide program includes an initial nomination cycle that runs from 8...
The best way to avoid cold feet during winter's worst weather is to find the right footwear, and The Athlete's Source in Bethel is helping customers start the year off on the right foot.
The Athlete's...
Based on his keynote comments at the Newtown Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting January 9, recently elected First Selectman Dan Rosenthal is ready to begin delivering on campaign commitments he made t...
Golf is sometimes not so jokingly referred to as a game that can drive relationships apart.
But on the occasion of his retirement as president and chief executive officer of Newtown Savings Bank, John...
Northern Fairfield Professionals, a networking group focusing on members of the local workforce in transition, will host a program by Laura Powers, an executive career transition coach, during its next meeting.
Update: The story has been updated on January 2 with information provided by the business.
Business name: Lucas Local Oyster Bar and Woodfire Cookery
Address: 48 South Main Street, Newtow...
Business name: Cleaner Tails
Address: 32 Stony Hill Road (lower level), Bethel
Owners: Stephen Kaponyas and Tamara Cabrero
Business background: If dogs could talk, chances are they wou...
Anyone holding valid Newtown Bucks gift certificate checks has a limited time to either redeem them at a valid Newtown Chamber member business, or cash them in at any Newtown Savings Bank branch.newto...
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.
