Last week's Courier endorsed the town's proposed purchase of South Park. If you missed it, here it is:
We have been convinced.
The town’s plan to purchase land on South Park Avenue to prevent a high-density housing application from coming to fruition is in Easton’s best interest. The plan, should it receive taxpayers’ approval at a referendum next Tuesday, would have the town purchase 30 acres for $6.15 million. The town would then sell a lease/purchase option to a nonprofit Christian organization that hopes to build a prayer center on the site.
No, the plan is not perfect, as former First Selectman Bill Kupinse said at Monday’s town meeting. But if voters reject it, Easton would be faced with a lawsuit it is likely to lose, resulting in the construction of up to 72 units of cluster housing that would shatter the town’s zoning regulations and open the door for future high-density development.
Faced with that alternative, this deal is a godsend.
The town’s major boards and commissions, representing most, if not all, local elected officials, are behind this deal. Additionally, a study commissioned by the town’s Land Preservation and Acquisition Authority determined that a high-density housing project would cost taxpayers between $3 million and $24 million to cover the cost of educating the additional schoolchildren expected to flood into town.
Even if the New England Prayer Center can’t raise the money to purchase the land in two years, the town can still recoup the money through the sale of the lots. It may be a bit of a gamble, especially in this wretched housing market. However, the land would at least be in the control of the town.
Some are suspicious of who might be benefiting from this deal. Inevitably someone is making money from this plan, but Easton gains as well.
The land in question is a gateway to the town. As we’ve said before, the fate of these 30 acres will impact the future of the entire town.
Vote Yes for the land purchase at Tuesday’s referendum.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
South Park Vote Today
Wondering about how to vote on today's South Park referendum? Here's last week's solid account of the issue in the Courier, by editor Maggie Caldwell:
Deal is a ‘house of cards’
South Park land purchase plan heads to a vote
by Maggie Caldwell
Editor
With Easton’s zoning regulations at stake, town officials have drawn up a complex land purchase deal that would scrap a developer’s proposal for high-density housing and could keep other builders at bay.
An estimated 70 people came to a town meeting on Monday to discuss the plan for the town to appropriate $6.15 million to buy approximately 30 acres on South Park Avenue — land that for the past decade has been the subject of several applications for high-density housing developments.
The deal involves at least four different parties, a series of intertwining lawsuits and a lease/purchase option between the town and a newly formed Christian organization. The agreement is the result of months of closed-door negotiations among all parties and their legal counsel.
“It’s all a house of cards,” said Ira Bloom, attorney for the town. “If this is approved, the litigation disappears. Everyone settles their own dispute.”
To cement the deal and keep those cards from collapsing, the town needs the go-ahead from taxpayers on the plan. Voters will make or break the deal at a referendum next Tuesday, June 17. The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Samuel Staples Elementary School.
The plan
Should taxpayers approve the appropriation request, the plan is for the town to lease the purchased land to the New England Prayer Center, a nonprofit Christian organization that has been running its operations out of basements and host churches for the past few years, according to Frederick Zarrilli, the group’s president. After two years, the prayer center would purchase the land outright from the town and look to build a “moderately sized” structure to house the center.
The prayer center would be required to pay $300,000 for the lease/purchase option, money the town would keep regardless of whether the group decided to buy the land.
With this plan, not only would Easton’s zoning regulations be preserved and the Mill River protected from the potential environmental hazards of high-density development, but property taxes would not be affected, said First Selectman Tom Herrmann last month.
Even if the prayer center does not exercise its purchase option, the town has the opportunity to rezone the land as one-acre, single-family residential and sell up to 14 lots, Mr. Herrmann said.
Affordable housing
Should it be approved next week, the plan would ax an earlier proposal by the landowner, Running Brook Farm LLC, to build 72 units of prefabricated cluster housing that includes affordable units. The application would have taken advantage of a state statute stipulating that communities must amend zoning regulations to accommodate affordable housing developments, unless the town proves such development would pose serious public safety or health threats.
Town officials have expressed their fear that the forced zone change would open the floodgates for other developers seeking to take advantage of the precedent set by Running Brook.
The town’s Conservation Commission shot down Running Brook’s proposal, citing possible threats to public health and safety and environmental issues as grounds for the rejection. Easton’s Planning & Zoning Commission had earlier rejected a previous application by the same developer for an age-restricted 44-unit housing development on the site.
Philip DiGennaro, the developer for Running Brook Farm LLC, appealed both decisions, but opened up to settlement negotiations with the town in March.
The plan for the town’s purchase of the land and its subsequent lease by the prayer center is the result of those closed-door negotiations.
The Easton Land Preservation and Acquisition Authority, charged by the Board of Selectmen to commission a study evaluating the plan, determined that high-density housing would be more costly to taxpayers than the prayer center.
The study determined that Running Brook’s project would cost taxpayers a minimum of $3 million over 20 years, or as much as $24 million over that same period of time, to accommodate the influx of schoolchildren. The prayer center, on the other hand, would offer a net loss of only $299,000 over 20 years, according to Victor Alfandre, a member of the authority. (See other story.)
‘Eggs in one basket’
Many residents at Monday’s meeting expressed their skepticism about the plan, which was ushered through the approval process for all the requisite boards and commissions in less than three weeks.
John Broadbin of Staples Road said he was concerned the town might be “putting all its eggs in one basket” by offering the land to the New England Prayer Center.
“Could another developer be considered?” he asked. “If we’re not tied to one, at least we’re free to recoup the expense or even make money.”
The first selectman said that absent the lease/purchase option, “we don’t have a deal.”
“Certain members of NEPC are involved with the developer,” Mr. Herrmann said. “We are inextricably tied to the bonding of this money.”
Glenn Maiorano of Fair Oak Drive echoed Mr. Broadbin’s concerns, asking why the town must “predetermine” what to do with the land.
Selectman Bob Lessler said there are many interest groups committed to this “intricately structured arrangement.”
“If you take anything out of the equation, it fails,” he said.
The first selectman stressed that the prayer center has only two years to come up with $6.15 million (minus the $300,000 already paid for the purchase option) to pay for the land.
“If not, we can keep the $300,000 and look elsewhere,” Mr. Herrmann said, adding that other development options, including age-restricted housing, could be considered.
Mr. Broadbin also questioned the purchase price of the land. Mr. Herrmann said the figure is not based on the appraisal, but instead on what the developer “thinks is fair” with what Running Brook has put into the land.
Mr. Herrmann also noted that if the prayer center takes ownership, it has the option of selling off parts of the land under the three-acre zoning regulations. If the lots were sold in excess of the purchase price, that money would come back to the town.
“This is set up so they cannot make money off the town,” said Mr. Herrmann.
The first selectman added that the land purchase would not affect the town’s bond rating.
Prayer Center’s credentials
Grant Monsarrat of North Park Avenue and Gowen Dacey of Redding Road both inquired about the New England Prayer Center’s mission.
Mr. Zarrilli said that though the center was officially established in 2006, the group has existed informally for several years. He stressed that the group is not a church and doesn’t look to “steal congregants” from other local religious organizations.
“We are here to support them,” he said. “Our goal is to be a resource to the town, and be available for specific uses.”
Mr. Zarrilli also pointed out the endorsements the prayer center has received from local pastors, including Easton’s own Rev. Craig Carlson of the Covenant Church.
Mr. Monsarrat also asked if the center has any concrete plans to raise the money to purchase the land from the town.
Eric Eitel, a member of the prayer center’s board of directors, said the center is working with the Development Guild, a consulting firm that works with nonprofit leaders to strengthen philanthropic support.
If town votes No
If taxpayers reject the deal next Tuesday, negotiations would break down and Running Brook would move forward with its appeal case against the town.
Attorney Bloom said that the prospects of the town winning the case are gloomy.
In affordable housing cases, the municipality is the party strapped with the burden of proof. Historically, “there is a 70% loss of cases in the court by the towns statewide,” said Mr. Bloom.
Running Brook is represented by Shipman & Goodwin, the pre-eminent law firm representing the plaintiffs in Connecticut affordable housing cases.
Mr. Bloom also noted that the sequencing batch reactor (SBR), the proposed sewage treatment system that was rejected by the Conservation Commission, was approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Further, that same town commission approved the system for an earlier development application on the same site.
“That is getting thrown back at us,” said Mr. Bloom. “The beauty of the settlement is the developer will be withdrawing the case. Running Brook has committed in writing and will withdraw the application to the DEP. That is a very significant piece of information.”
In support of the plan
A number of residents have thrown their support behind the town’s plan to purchase the land. Former First Selectman Bill Kupinse, who dealt with this and prior development applications for the land on South Park Avenue, was among the supporters.
“I strongly recommend we approve it,” said Mr. Kupinse. “You can poke fingers into every little bit of the deal. But it’s a simple matter. We are, in fact, benefiting the town.”
He went on to add that though the plan is not a perfect option, “It takes off the market affordable housing and age-restricted housing in a delicate area.”
Rob Maquat, chairman of the Planning & Zoning Commission, noted that the 30 acres on South Park Avenue is “the last remaining significant property off the watershed.”
Dr. Chris Michos, the town’s health director, said the best news about the settlement is that it removes the SBR septic treatment system from the table. Others noted that the SBR system has proven problematic and untested and posed an imminent threat to the health of the Mill River.
Elaine Spicer of Princess Pine Lane called it a “wonderful plan” and said it is in the town’s best interest to take “control of the land.”
Spreading the word
With the plan being pushed so swiftly through to a referendum, some fear that taxpayers won’t be informed as they head to the voting booth on Tuesday.
Besides coverage in The Courier and other newspapers, a recording of Monday’s town meeting will be shown on public access Channel 79. Additionally, the first selectman and other town officials were slated to speak about the plan on David Smith’s radio program on WICC yesterday.
The town clerk is holding extended office hours for those who need to pick up absentee ballots by next Monday.
More information about the New England Prayer Center is available on its Web site, newenglandprayercenter.org.
Deal is a ‘house of cards’
South Park land purchase plan heads to a vote
by Maggie Caldwell
Editor
With Easton’s zoning regulations at stake, town officials have drawn up a complex land purchase deal that would scrap a developer’s proposal for high-density housing and could keep other builders at bay.
An estimated 70 people came to a town meeting on Monday to discuss the plan for the town to appropriate $6.15 million to buy approximately 30 acres on South Park Avenue — land that for the past decade has been the subject of several applications for high-density housing developments.
The deal involves at least four different parties, a series of intertwining lawsuits and a lease/purchase option between the town and a newly formed Christian organization. The agreement is the result of months of closed-door negotiations among all parties and their legal counsel.
“It’s all a house of cards,” said Ira Bloom, attorney for the town. “If this is approved, the litigation disappears. Everyone settles their own dispute.”
To cement the deal and keep those cards from collapsing, the town needs the go-ahead from taxpayers on the plan. Voters will make or break the deal at a referendum next Tuesday, June 17. The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Samuel Staples Elementary School.
The plan
Should taxpayers approve the appropriation request, the plan is for the town to lease the purchased land to the New England Prayer Center, a nonprofit Christian organization that has been running its operations out of basements and host churches for the past few years, according to Frederick Zarrilli, the group’s president. After two years, the prayer center would purchase the land outright from the town and look to build a “moderately sized” structure to house the center.
The prayer center would be required to pay $300,000 for the lease/purchase option, money the town would keep regardless of whether the group decided to buy the land.
With this plan, not only would Easton’s zoning regulations be preserved and the Mill River protected from the potential environmental hazards of high-density development, but property taxes would not be affected, said First Selectman Tom Herrmann last month.
Even if the prayer center does not exercise its purchase option, the town has the opportunity to rezone the land as one-acre, single-family residential and sell up to 14 lots, Mr. Herrmann said.
Affordable housing
Should it be approved next week, the plan would ax an earlier proposal by the landowner, Running Brook Farm LLC, to build 72 units of prefabricated cluster housing that includes affordable units. The application would have taken advantage of a state statute stipulating that communities must amend zoning regulations to accommodate affordable housing developments, unless the town proves such development would pose serious public safety or health threats.
Town officials have expressed their fear that the forced zone change would open the floodgates for other developers seeking to take advantage of the precedent set by Running Brook.
The town’s Conservation Commission shot down Running Brook’s proposal, citing possible threats to public health and safety and environmental issues as grounds for the rejection. Easton’s Planning & Zoning Commission had earlier rejected a previous application by the same developer for an age-restricted 44-unit housing development on the site.
Philip DiGennaro, the developer for Running Brook Farm LLC, appealed both decisions, but opened up to settlement negotiations with the town in March.
The plan for the town’s purchase of the land and its subsequent lease by the prayer center is the result of those closed-door negotiations.
The Easton Land Preservation and Acquisition Authority, charged by the Board of Selectmen to commission a study evaluating the plan, determined that high-density housing would be more costly to taxpayers than the prayer center.
The study determined that Running Brook’s project would cost taxpayers a minimum of $3 million over 20 years, or as much as $24 million over that same period of time, to accommodate the influx of schoolchildren. The prayer center, on the other hand, would offer a net loss of only $299,000 over 20 years, according to Victor Alfandre, a member of the authority. (See other story.)
‘Eggs in one basket’
Many residents at Monday’s meeting expressed their skepticism about the plan, which was ushered through the approval process for all the requisite boards and commissions in less than three weeks.
John Broadbin of Staples Road said he was concerned the town might be “putting all its eggs in one basket” by offering the land to the New England Prayer Center.
“Could another developer be considered?” he asked. “If we’re not tied to one, at least we’re free to recoup the expense or even make money.”
The first selectman said that absent the lease/purchase option, “we don’t have a deal.”
“Certain members of NEPC are involved with the developer,” Mr. Herrmann said. “We are inextricably tied to the bonding of this money.”
Glenn Maiorano of Fair Oak Drive echoed Mr. Broadbin’s concerns, asking why the town must “predetermine” what to do with the land.
Selectman Bob Lessler said there are many interest groups committed to this “intricately structured arrangement.”
“If you take anything out of the equation, it fails,” he said.
The first selectman stressed that the prayer center has only two years to come up with $6.15 million (minus the $300,000 already paid for the purchase option) to pay for the land.
“If not, we can keep the $300,000 and look elsewhere,” Mr. Herrmann said, adding that other development options, including age-restricted housing, could be considered.
Mr. Broadbin also questioned the purchase price of the land. Mr. Herrmann said the figure is not based on the appraisal, but instead on what the developer “thinks is fair” with what Running Brook has put into the land.
Mr. Herrmann also noted that if the prayer center takes ownership, it has the option of selling off parts of the land under the three-acre zoning regulations. If the lots were sold in excess of the purchase price, that money would come back to the town.
“This is set up so they cannot make money off the town,” said Mr. Herrmann.
The first selectman added that the land purchase would not affect the town’s bond rating.
Prayer Center’s credentials
Grant Monsarrat of North Park Avenue and Gowen Dacey of Redding Road both inquired about the New England Prayer Center’s mission.
Mr. Zarrilli said that though the center was officially established in 2006, the group has existed informally for several years. He stressed that the group is not a church and doesn’t look to “steal congregants” from other local religious organizations.
“We are here to support them,” he said. “Our goal is to be a resource to the town, and be available for specific uses.”
Mr. Zarrilli also pointed out the endorsements the prayer center has received from local pastors, including Easton’s own Rev. Craig Carlson of the Covenant Church.
Mr. Monsarrat also asked if the center has any concrete plans to raise the money to purchase the land from the town.
Eric Eitel, a member of the prayer center’s board of directors, said the center is working with the Development Guild, a consulting firm that works with nonprofit leaders to strengthen philanthropic support.
If town votes No
If taxpayers reject the deal next Tuesday, negotiations would break down and Running Brook would move forward with its appeal case against the town.
Attorney Bloom said that the prospects of the town winning the case are gloomy.
In affordable housing cases, the municipality is the party strapped with the burden of proof. Historically, “there is a 70% loss of cases in the court by the towns statewide,” said Mr. Bloom.
Running Brook is represented by Shipman & Goodwin, the pre-eminent law firm representing the plaintiffs in Connecticut affordable housing cases.
Mr. Bloom also noted that the sequencing batch reactor (SBR), the proposed sewage treatment system that was rejected by the Conservation Commission, was approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Further, that same town commission approved the system for an earlier development application on the same site.
“That is getting thrown back at us,” said Mr. Bloom. “The beauty of the settlement is the developer will be withdrawing the case. Running Brook has committed in writing and will withdraw the application to the DEP. That is a very significant piece of information.”
In support of the plan
A number of residents have thrown their support behind the town’s plan to purchase the land. Former First Selectman Bill Kupinse, who dealt with this and prior development applications for the land on South Park Avenue, was among the supporters.
“I strongly recommend we approve it,” said Mr. Kupinse. “You can poke fingers into every little bit of the deal. But it’s a simple matter. We are, in fact, benefiting the town.”
He went on to add that though the plan is not a perfect option, “It takes off the market affordable housing and age-restricted housing in a delicate area.”
Rob Maquat, chairman of the Planning & Zoning Commission, noted that the 30 acres on South Park Avenue is “the last remaining significant property off the watershed.”
Dr. Chris Michos, the town’s health director, said the best news about the settlement is that it removes the SBR septic treatment system from the table. Others noted that the SBR system has proven problematic and untested and posed an imminent threat to the health of the Mill River.
Elaine Spicer of Princess Pine Lane called it a “wonderful plan” and said it is in the town’s best interest to take “control of the land.”
Spreading the word
With the plan being pushed so swiftly through to a referendum, some fear that taxpayers won’t be informed as they head to the voting booth on Tuesday.
Besides coverage in The Courier and other newspapers, a recording of Monday’s town meeting will be shown on public access Channel 79. Additionally, the first selectman and other town officials were slated to speak about the plan on David Smith’s radio program on WICC yesterday.
The town clerk is holding extended office hours for those who need to pick up absentee ballots by next Monday.
More information about the New England Prayer Center is available on its Web site, newenglandprayercenter.org.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
