PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
JUNE 27, 2006
SPECIAL MEETING
I. CALL TO ORDER
Chairman John Loomis called the special meeting of the Planning Commission to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Main Meeting Room of the Simsbury Town Offices. The following members were present: Secretary Ernest Gardow, Gregory Piecuch, Susan Bednarcyk, Ferguson Jansen, Charles Houlihan, with Carol Cole arriving shortly after the call to order. Also in attendance were Howard Beach, Conservation/Inland Wetlands and Zoning Compliance Officer, Hiram Peck, Interim Director of Community Planning & Development, as well as other interested parties.
II. APPOINTMENT OF ALTERNATES
None.
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES for June 13, 2006
Secretary Gardow motioned to approve the minutes as amended from June 13, 2006. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Piecuch and approved by a vote of 4-0, with Commissioners Jansen and Houlihan abstaining.
Secretary Gardow motioned to move Item V of the amended agenda (Introduction of Hiram Peck) to follow Item III (Minutes). The motion was seconded by Commissioner Piecuch and unanimously approved.
V. INTRODUCTION OF HIRAM PECK, INTERIM DIRECTOR OF PLANNING
Mr. Peck briefly explained his broad 22-year history in the planning and zoning field, of which the last 15 were spent in Fairfield County. His experience has included undergraduate work in the sciences, graduate work in planning, experience with a regional planning agency, as well as time spent working for a variety of towns and developers. Several times Mr. Peck expressed his willingness to do whatever he can to help during his 30 hours a week and invited the Commissioners to call or email him any time. Chairman Loomis expressed his appreciation to Mr. Peck for jumping into the business item on the agenda this evening.
IV. CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE ACQUISITION OF ETHEL WALKER SCHOOL OPEN SPACE DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS
Howard Beach oriented the Commissioners to the details of the 420+-acre area in question, including the front 50+ acres visible from Bushy Hill Road. In response to Chairman Loomis, Mr. Beach indicated there were approximately 82 acres of wetlands. Susan Masino, 41 Madison Lane, distributed maps to the Commissioners she happened to have on hand.
Chairman Loomis commended the outstanding questions/issues raised in Mr. Peck’s 6/27/06 memo, indicating the answers to those questions will be necessary for both Commissioners and residents to feel comfortable supporting the acquisition. Mr. Peck agreed, suggesting presently there is a general idea for the proposed preservation and acquisition, but the devil is always in the details.
In response to Chairman Loomis, Melissa Spear, Project Manager for the Trust for Public Land (TPL), explained the appraisals that have been done thus far on the property. The Town did one for the back 390 acres of the property. The conservation easement is to include the 50+ acres of the front portion as seen from Bushy Hill Road. Of the 4 appraisals the TPL has in process two were specifically designed for the Open Space grant to be submitted to the State of CT. The Town has already been awarded open space grants on 110 acres of the 424 acres that would be subject to the easement and so is requiring an appraisal on the remaining 314 acres. Subsequently, two additional appraisals will be done on the entire 424-acre parcel, strictly for the Town’s benefit to ensure the purchase price is in alignment with
the market value. She indicated the difficulty in this particular negotiation has been related to Ethel Walker’s non-profit status. After careful analysis, the agreed upon purchase price is $13.85 million. Realizing the $10-11 million the Town is going to be asked to contribute is a huge amount of money for the Town, TPL has agreed to raise $2.75 million in private funds to assist the Town. Ms. Spear indicated the maximum amount of State grant that could be awarded would likely be $450,000, which would also work to reduce the total amount required by the Town. Ms. Spear suggested the goal will be to keep the actual cost to taxpayers below $100 a year for the life of the bond. In response to Secretary Gardow, Ms. Spear indicated the fund-raising efforts will include collaboration with Ethel Walker in contacting specific alumnae, as well as funds generated locally and regionally (i.e., conservation organizations, Aquarion Water Company, various
foundations). Ms. Spears told Commissioner Bednarcyk that if the funds raised are in excess of the $2.75 million goal money could be given to the Town to reduce their burden and some type of stewardship would be set up to ensure the land is well maintained in its current form. Diane Nash, 5 Merry Way, confirmed that the Keep the Woods organization would also be assisting in the fund-raising efforts.
Utilizing the preliminary plan submitted by EWS, as well as the analysis done by Richard Sawitzke, Ms. Spear confirmed that TPL has done a review and analysis of a proposed subdivision on the property, both on the west and east side of the ridgeline. In response to Chairman Loomis, Ms. Spear stated that 4 fee-simple lots are to be included: the 3 proposed by Mr. Sawitzke due to their open space qualities and impact on sewer lines to the town garage; as well as a 30-acre northern parcel which includes portions of the Stratton Brook floodplain. Ms. Spears noted one of the challenges in assessing the value of this particular property is its uniqueness to the area with regards to its large size and the difficulty in finding comparable properties. Ms. Spear confirmed for Commissioner Bednarcyk that previous
open space purchases have been reviewed, however the markets and availability of land have changed so much. Commissioner Bednarcyk commended TPL on their negotiation efforts.
Commissioner Piecuch confirmed the resolution proposed by Mr. Peck provides a preliminary show of support. Ms. Spear explained the reason for the compressed timeframe was due to the 6/30/06 due date for the State grant application. The stronger the grant, the more money the State will award. She views the resolution as not necessarily agreeing to spending the $10 million dollars, but rather showing support for going through the process and that the Town should have the opportunity to buy this important piece of property. Commissioner Piecuch indicated his support at this stage of the broader view that acquiring this open space is in the best interest of the Town. In his opinion, this will ultimately join the Simsbury Farms acquisition as another ‘once-in-a-generation’ land use decision
by the Town. He characterized passing the resolution as a ‘no-brainer’ in order to get on board with TPL and others to try to make the deal happen. In addition, he suggested this issue would ultimately need to go to public referendum. Ms. Spear verified for Commissioner Cole that Ethel Walker would still own the property but the terms of the conservation easement, a draft copy of which was previously provided via email to the Commissioners, would specify public access for passive recreation, similar to McLean Game Refuge.
Commissioner Houlihan motioned that the Simsbury Planning Commission supports the Town’s effort to acquire or to otherwise preserve the Ethel Walker School property on the west side of Bushy Hill Road for the following reasons as stated in the 1994 Simsbury Plan of Conservation and Development.
Regarding:
1. Land Use
Policy 3. Preserve scenic vistas…the Ethel Walker School hillside and pastures…
Policy 8. Promote the coordination of compatible land uses and environmental protection…
Policy 9. Coordinate State and Regional Land Use Plans with Simsbury’s Plan of Development.
2. The Environment and Environmentally Sensitive Areas
Policy 1. Discourage development in areas that are unsuitable…steep slopes, soils, development limitations,
wetlands, public water supply, aquifers, recharge areas or other natural conditions.
Policy 2. Protect scenic areas…wildlife corridors and significant natural features.
Policy 3. Encourage the conservation of agricultural lands…
Policy 7. Protect groundwater quality.
Policy 8. Evaluate adverse impacts from development.
Policy 9. Encourage land use and development patterns that protect air quality.
3. Open Space and Recreation
Policy 1. …dedication of open space…
Policy 2. Encourage the acquisition of open space…
Policy 3. Provide trail systems and clearly marked trails.
Policy 4. Create long range…open space facilities…
Policy 5. Promote acquisition of sufficient land for open space and recreational opportunities.
Policy 6. Encourage geographic distribution of recreation facilities in Simsbury.
Policy 7. Promote acquisition of open space to expand access…hiking paths…
4. Community Facilities
Policy 1. Promote the development of community facilities that enhance the social well being of the community.
Policy 3. Use existing sewer facilities effectively.
Policy 6. Ensure that adequate and safe public water supply exists to serve current and future users.
The Commission finds that the above cited policies are enhanced or furthered by this action. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Piecuch and unanimously approved by a vote of 6-0.
Mr. Peck will incorporate the motion into a Staff memo and provide it to Ms. Spear, with copies to the Commissioners, by Thursday afternoon.
VI. STAFF REPORTS
None.
VII. COMMUNICATIONS
Chairman Loomis notified the Commissioners of a conference entitled “The Sprawl Stops Here” to be held at Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford on 7/13/06 from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. The workshop is to be moderated by the Hartford Courant’s Tom Condon and will feature Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman and former Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening. Mr. Beach confirmed that an email had been sent to the Commissioners regarding the meeting.
VIII. ADJOURNMENT
Commissioner Bednarcyk motioned to adjourn the meeting at 6:50 p.m. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Jansen and unanimously approved.
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Ernest B. Gardow, Secretary
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