The Fairfield Hills Master Plan Review Committee held a meeting on Friday, July 26, 2010 at the Newtown Municipal Center, Newtown, Connecticut. Mr. Floros called the meeting to order at 7:12 pm.
Present: Michael Floros, Paul Lundquist, Robert Maurer, Ms. Roznicki, Deborra Zukowski and Dennis Kyle.
Absent: Michael Mossbarger, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Shepard, Stephen Zvon, and Gary Steele.
Public Participation: Ruby Johnson of 16 Chestnut Hill Road distributed copies of a table from a Planimetrics Report (dated June 2008) titled "Benchmark Data - Newtown, Trumbull, Glastonbury" and an excerpt from the Kaestle Boos report (Recommendations) dated May 1, 1999". Until this group and other groups come to grips with Town needs, such as the Police Department, she doesn't believe land should be sold. She also feels seniors will need facilities.
Joe Borst of 10 Beechwood Drive in Sandy Hook hopes the committee keeps the primary interests of the Town in their minds. He discussed the eight framed houses on the property and that the current plan calls for them to be demolished, but does not see why they couldn't be renovated and used as affordable housing for police officers, teachers, etc. He said they are in fair shape with newer roofs. He also would like to see Kent Hall be permanently identified as a future school site.
Rita Willie of Butterfield Road, said she loves Fairfield Hills and feels housing or apartments would destroy the essence of the crown jewel of Newtown. She walks every day with her dog and has found that people come from out of town to walk. She felt housing would impact the area with more parking lots and place a strain on educational costs. She feels it would not be as financially viable as some people may think.
Andrew Willie of Brookfield Road, Co-Chair of the Fairfield Hills Authority, asked if there was a time limit for the committee. Mr. Floros said that the end of the year is the first hurdle, but more time can be granted. Mr. Willie asked how approvals are made. Mr. Floros said the committee is charged with reviewing the Master Plan and making recommendations to the Board of Selectmen. At that point the Board of Selectmen would make all final decisions.
Dianna Benedetto from Oakview Road discussed traffic problems on her road and shared concerns over additional traffic if housing were allowed in Fairfield Hills. She then discussed how other towns (New Canaan and Westport) have been successful with their nature centers. The centers have animal sanctuaries, exhibits, gardens, natural science and horticulture, an apple cider house, as well as an aviary that rehabilitates birds of prey that are injured in Connecticut. She felt it would be a wonderful idea since Newtown is a historic town with beautiful resources.
Approval of Minutes: Ms. Zukowski motioned to approve the minutes of July 9th . The motion was seconded by Mr. Lundquist. The motion was approved unanimously.
Committee Structure: In addressing a matter at the previous meeting regarding the amount of committee members and alternates, Mr. Floros said the formation of the committee was structured by the Board of Selectmen with nine members and two alternates. He feels the committee should continue with this structure and that any changes would need to be approved by the Board of Selectmen. He also stated that every member is able to participate in the subcommittee process.
Media: Mr. Floros discussed outreach mechanisms and said that the committee as a whole can provide information to the media (The Bee, the Newtown Patch, etc.). He said the committee should be sure each vote from the public is validating one person, one vote and that those voting are a resident of Newtown. Ms. Zukowski said the committee must have a consensus before anything is posted in the media. Mr. Floros confirmed that anything forwarded to the media must be approved by the committee as a whole.
Voting Structure: Mr. Floros said the structure of voting will be tabled until the end of August.
Mr. Floros said that he has spoke with Bob Reed, Chair of the Fairfield Hills Authority, Bob Geckle, the prior Chair, and other various boards and commissions with the objective being that in the next two or three meetings, the committee can engage with these groups to gather information. He introduced Michael Struna who is the commercial agent for Fairfield Hills.
Advantage Realty: Michael Struna from Advantage Realty Commercial in Bethel said he was hired by the Town of Newtown through the Fairfield Hills Authority and the First Selectman to represent the Town in negotiating transactions for Fairfield Hills. Mr. Struna stated that he is reviewing documents and has met with department heads to gather information. He has also had a number of showings of buildings, specifically, Woodbury and Newtown Halls, and is reviewing economic feasibility studies. He has found through a developer that the cost to make buildings economically viable is very high. Marketing materials are being prepared and documents are being consolidated into a central location for those parties interested in the campus. The property is listed in national major real
estate databases which has provided results. His job as the broker is not to decide whether proposals are good or bad, but to create interest in the campus and bring proposals to the Town.
Ms. Roznicki asked if he knew that housing is not in the current Master Plan. Mr. Struna said he did know that but because the uses were being reviewed, he felt that the information that would be gathered could be helpful. Ms. Roznicki brought up the fact that the 2005 Master Plan states that certain buildings are slated for demolition in five years.
Ms. Zukowski asked if Mr. Struna can provide realistic costs of razing structures, building new structures, and real estate costs in terms of owning vs. selling, as well as what to expect in terms of revenue. She said a big point of contention was the cost of the parking lot for the youth academy and stated the importance of knowing ahead of time all costs (what is the Town expected to pay) and what would benefit the town.
Mr. Struna said he can come to every meeting and be a resource for the committee, stating that his expertise is in economic feasibility. He has found that with Woodbury Hall, it would be better to have a piece of raw ground to build on. He said in order to preserve the campus look (the architecture) it will come at a very high cost and makes it difficult for a developer to make an economic transaction.
Mr. Lundquist asked what the developer was interested in for Woodbury and Newtown Hall. Mr. Struna answered that it is a medical building.
Mr. Lundquist asked about the group interested in an apartment building and if there was a discussion about the size and number of units. Mr. Struna said the discussions were more about economic costs and benefits. He said Cochran Hall would be a viable option. Mr. Lundquist asked if he could provide the committee with financial information to help weigh in on decisions and that although the Town may feel it is a viable option, it would be a challenge to convince the public. Mr. Struna said the developer may be interested if there was a positive recommendation from the Town.
Mr. Maurer asked who would determine the structural integrity of the buildings. Mr. Struna said the developers’ engineers but that it looks like the buildings bones are structurally sound. He said with Cochran Hall, it would take $2.5 million to tear it down and $2 million to bring it down to a shell. Mr. Kyle said Cochran House is the newest and most viable building in Fairfield Hills and if he were a developer, that would be the first building to recommend.
Themes and Subcommittees: Mr. Floros reiterated the tasks that Ms. Zukowski proposed at the July 9th meeting, which are (1) Understand Long-Term Demographics; (2) Open Space and Recreation; (3) Understanding Town Needs; and (4) Understanding the Potential for Commercialization.
Ms. Roznicki said she attended the Fairfield Hills Authority meeting on July 21st and said it became apparent there was some confusion regarding their relationship and responsibility between their committee and this committee. She was concerned over discussions of housing at Fairfield Hills in the media when housing is not currently allowed in the Master Plan, especially since it was the one item most rejected by citizens.
Mr. Floros said items could be divided into several sections; Public Safety, Quality of Life, Municipal, Education, Commercial, Housing, Natural Resources, Infrastructure, Environmental Issues and Impact (commercial vs. housing).
Ms. Zukowski asked to include the following: Understanding Long-Term Demographics and Enabling Dialog with Community.” Also, she stated the following horizontal themes: Infrastructure, Environmental Clean Up, Quality of Life, Preserving Town Character, Open Space, and Recreation. Vertical themes would include: Public Safety, Administrative Support, Education, Housing (understanding the rules around affordable housing), and Commercialization.
Ruby Johnson asked for more information about housing. She attended a P & Z meeting who had a report by HMA Harrell-Michelowski Associates where they were asked if affordable housing can be reserved for Town employees. Mr. Michelowski said essentially no, but if someone were to put up 70% or 80% of the capital, they can place restrictions if they wish. A builder said it would cost too much money to renovate the houses.
Town Resources would include: Board of Education, Police Department, Fire Marshal, Commission on Aging, Senior Center, Parks and Rec., Economic Development Commission, Conservation Commission, Sustainable Energy Committee, Cultural Arts Commission, Fairfield Hills Authority, Planning & Zoning Commission, Board of Finance (which would be a later meeting to ask about specific bonding).
Ms. Roznicki said that New Canaan has a building they rent out for banquets and weddings. They could be asked about their hurdles and look to them for guidance. Mr. Lundquist said the committee can identify some bench mark cases.
Mr. Floros passed around a list of subcommittees with resources for each. The subcommittees would do the research and report to the whole committee who would then put the final touches on it. There can be three people on each committee, and each committee can engage with other groups to gather information.
Subcommittees: Open Space / Recreation / Social Services, Housing, Process / Public Participation, Demographics, Education, Municipal Administration Space, Public Safety, Resources and Infrastructure, Ongoing Resource, and Commercial. The subcommittees will be reviewed at the next meeting.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.
Ruby Johnson said the Emergency Department needs a place to set up their equipment and that the building in back of Canaan house has pumps and coils, capable of air conditioning three large buildings.
Mr. Struna said the article in the news times about a sale was quickly corrected and that the headline was in error, the article was more accurate.
A tentative date of Monday August 2nd at 7:00 pm is set for a site walk.
Ms. Maurer motioned to adjourn the meeting at 8:50 pm. Motion seconded by Mr. Lundquist. Motion approved unanimously. The next meeting will be held in the Council Chambers on Monday, July 26, 2010 at 7:00 pm.
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