Easement Agreement for Wiese / Buckland development
On Tuesday, the Council agenda includes Authorization for easement agreement with Brodach Builders for Richmond Glen. Richmond Glen is a proposed age-restricted housing development between Wiese Road and Buckland Drive.
My question - In providing the easement, what benefit accrues to the town?
There's no apparent benefit that I see. I didn't see one in the Council packet either... unless you count the $10.00 payment.
The Council packet did include several pieces of information though, such as a promise to pay the Town $70,000 for reconstructing Wiese Road. And since I wasn't sure of the condition of all of Wiese Road, I drove by myself today. Wiese is pretty much in perfect shape. So my untrained eye leaves me thinking that's not a benefit.
Anyway, I thought others may be able to help get the dialogue rolling on this prior to the Council meeting. So here's the proposed easement agreement:
And since I know the question will arise... as far as I know, I have not received any campaign contributions from the person requesting the easement. It's possible I received something in 2006 when I ran for State Rep, but I never really paid attention to it then... and certainly don't recall now.
Your thoughts?
Tim White
9 comments:
My concern is the effect this will have on Norton Bros Farm and Hickory Hill Orchard. The arguement was made a few years ago that the general operations could bother residents and cause a hardship for the farms. It would be a shame on the councils part to allow this project without consideration of the farms. I would like to see some kind of notifacation be made to the prospective buyers of these units that there are working apple orchards next to the development. Let them know that the farms has been there for over 200 years and the complex is brand new. They would be subject to noise and odors at all times of the day and night that are part of the ongoing operations of the farms. Also, the farms would not be required to stop production. This is to prevent any sitsuations like the mines have created.
Why at this time in particular should the town be going out of its way to help a developer of mass merchandised home units?
Housing sales in town appear to be almost negligible over the past year according the Real Estate Transactions section of the Herald. Now is not the time to make building tract housing easier. I bet you won't hear from hundreds of over age 55 people just dying to unload hundreds of thousands to live in this development right now either.
Age restricted housing is a developer euphemism for building housing which is to be taxed at a lower rate so that it is easier for the developer to sell it in the first place. We need the full blown tax rate on new construction now, including age restricted housing, so that those already owning housing here won't be paying even more in coming years. Just because you are 50 or 55 doesn't mean you don't or won't have kids.
Wiese Rd is often over burdened with traffic and parked vehicles now due to the popularity of McNamara Field and sports activities in town.
This additional proposed development will cause additional traffic hazards for both vehicles and pedestrians already in the area of the development.
Weise rd was recently completed after 2 years of reconstruction. Unless they dig it up, there will not be a need to repair it. Makes you wonder if they perposly waited until the construction was complete to resubmit this plan.
"Age restricted housing is a developer euphemism for building housing which is to be taxed at a lower rate so that it is easier for the developer to sell it in the first place."
I'm over 55 and I'm not getting any reduced tax as a result.
As for granting an easement, I'm against it. These developers cheaply buy land that has some negative aspects that they know they can over come by getting the right lawyer and engineering company to clear the way.
Too many times the taxpayers have been left holding the bag. Are these people crazy asking the town for an easement in return for $10?
How much have they paid Fazzone and Milone and MacBroom, thousands?
Has all this already been approved by the commissions?
55 and over in other parts of the country are not selling and the builders are asking for the Towns to remove the restrictions. What is going to happen here in Cheshire in the near future with all these 55 and over? Something that sounded so good before might not be good anymore. We must think of the future or we will have a big mess on our hands. Traffic and noise will matter little.
Wake up folks! This request was turned down by the Council several years ago before the Council was run by developer friendly Councilmen.(Having the chair of the Council make most of his money from RE transactions ought to raise a FEW eyebrows!)There is NO benefit to the people of Cheshire in providing an easement for sewers. The downside? 41 more units sending their sewage to an overburdened sewer plant which is going to cost $20 (or 30?) million to upgrade. WHY should the town do this?
As for the $70,000 to the Town for Wiese Rd construction...the previous writer is correct....Wiese is already DONE...except for the bridge over the stream several hundred yards in from Academy Road. This was the site of an Inland Wetlands violation BY THE TOWN PW department and the bridgeis still not done.......silt fence has been down all winter....temporary barriers are up to keep people from driving into the water...but this project is not done. Joe Michealangelo should have been fired years ago......this is just another screwed up...and an unfinished project....part of business as usual at PWD.
Finally...there was soomething very fishy about this development....how it was approved for sewers by having the conservation map changed up in Hartford. There has been talk around town of how the Council greased this through late at night shielded from public scrutiny. Maybe thiose details will come out tonight. Long overdue.
Tim
9:11 has a lot of insight and I surely hope you will bring this up tonight.
How can they get away with this?
The fact of the matter is too many people don't understand how things in this town work and just listen to whoever tells them what to do. Just like Florio with the BOE, Trifone with the turf and now this mess.
I drove down Wiese Rd. last night and found it to be a nice, comfortable smooth road. Since it was just done, I don't see what benefits the town will gain.
You and the rest of the minority must stand up to these people Tim.
1 correction... Part of some agreement per the Meriden RJ on Wednesday stated that the developer will pay the town the $70,000 for the work performed on Weise Rd. regardless of the roads current condition.
The people in that part of town better wake up on this one. Is anyone paying attention?
Once the bulldozers move in and the trees come down it will be too late to react to how big this will be. Wrong development, wrong place, wrong time.
The people on Buckland Drive and Peachtree will be heavily impacted....but so will every other Cheshire resident who will have another beautiful piece of town chewed up by the money folks.
For what?
Post a Comment