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Land Resources / News / Connecticut
Directors agree to buy 63 acres off Hillstown Road
Source: journalinquirer.com, by Kimberly Phillips, Journal Inquirer
MANCHESTER - Some 63 acres off Hillstown Road will become town property, following a party-line vote from the Board of Directors on Tuesday to spend $1.5 million to acquire the parcel.
February 15, 2007 The 6-3 vote came after more than an hour of discussion and a 10-minute executive session to review the transaction during which all directors agreed it was prudent to buy the swath of land, but disagreed on how much, if any, should be set aside specifically for open space. Republican Minority Leader Louis A. Spadaccini proposed an amendment to preserve 40 acres for open space and allow for future municipal development on 23 acres, which would provide for an elementary school and a firehouse, for instance. But the board's majority sided with Town Attorney Michael Darby, who said that if an amendment was made to the purchase agreement - which is in the form of an ordinance - another public hearing would have to be held to follow the charter and state law before directors could vote. And if directors failed to act Tuesday, the deal with property owner Ernest Starsiak would have expired next week. While Democrats said they weren't opposed to maintaining at least part of the property as open space - there are no plans to develop the lot now - they were hesitant to affirm that position, saying that doing so essentially would bind future boards that one day could look to the property for municipal use. Spadaccini and fellow Republicans said that a bonus to designating a portion as solely open space would be the availability of a state grant to help with the purchase. Because Gov. M. Jodi Rell has set aside significant spending for open space purchases in her proposed budget, Manchester has a shot at snagging some of the funds, they said. Still, Democrats pointed out that should state money be used in purchasing the parcel, that area of open space never could be used for municipal development. That wasn't smart planning, they said. Further, the governor's budget plan is only proposed. The town has been in sale negotiations with Starsiak for several years, and directors have discussed the transaction in executive session for about the same amount of time. The $1.5 million price comes from a $3 million fund established in 2004 during a bond referendum for the purchase of land. By using such money and under the terms of the sale agreement, the land will be limited to open space or other municipal use, such as a school, firehouse, or recreation facility. It cannot be used for a housing development even if the town were to build homes for older residents. "The time to go forward on this is now," Democratic Director Jason E. Doucette said, noting that three years ago the Planning and Zoning Commission rejected a request from Starsiak to rezone the land so up to two houses could be built on each acre, instead of the 1.3 houses per acre allowed by current zoning. Starsiak's proposal sparked discussion in the community about the future of the Hillstown Road area, namely allowing new housing developments and water and sewer extensions. Neighbors in the southwest corner have said they want to maintain its rural character. "There's quite a bit of history on this," Doucette said. If the land deal with the town had expired next week, it's possible a developer could have bought the land for private use: "This is the best way for Manchester to decide what's best for Manchester," Democratic Director John D. Topping said. Republican Director Cheri Ann Pelletier agreed, saying, however: "The timing is right. The deal is wrong." Read the complete article from journalinquirer.com » |
