Easton Courier on October 15, 2016
To the Editor:
Saddle Ridge has once again submitted an application for high-density housing on the public watershed. Once again, Citizens for Easton will oppose any proposal that seeks to overturn long-standing zoning regulations designed to protect a vital resource which Easton and Fairfield County rely upon.
Eight months ago, Judge Marshall K. Berger Jr. of the Hartford District Superior Court rejected an earlier Saddle Ridge high-density application which would have imperilled the long term health and maintenance of the watershed. Saddle Ridge was subsequently denied certification for appeal, upholding Judge Berger’s decision.
The new application — which seeks one unit per acre, in addition to duplexes on 18 lots — purports to conform to the so-called affordable housing statute. However, Judge Berger argued that the protection of the watershed, along with the manifest public health issues directly related to that protection, must assume precedence over such considerations.
In opposing the earlier high-density housing application, CFE had likewise argued that issues of public health and the protection of the watershed must supercede the short term financial interests of any developer. With the full understanding that Planning & Zoning must take into careful consideration any application that comes before it, we once again urge its members to summarily reject this most recent one as well.
Citizens for Easton Board
Citizens For Easton 