Category Archives: Legislative

PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE AT SAMUEL STAPLES SCHOOL ON TUESDAY MAY 6

Posted on May 5, 2025 by Citizens for Easton | Leave a comment

Dear CFE members and concerned citizens:

We’re writing to alert you that a critically important machine vote will be held on May 6, 2025, at Samuel Staples Elementary School, 515 Morehouse Road, Easton, CT from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

We urge you to vote “yes” on item 3: “Shall the town adopt the modified Planning and Zoning Ordinance Chapter 147, which creates an elected P&Z Commission?”

We have long believed that an elected P&Z will consider the wishes of the townspeople before acting on zoning matters.

Meanwhile, please vote yes on item 4 too: “Shall the Town adopt a new Ordinance declaring Easton Town Hall a local Historic Property?” We believe this is congruent with our mission statement “Preserving Easton’s scenic, rural, agrarian, and small town characteristics”

Thank you and see you at the polls!

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Posted in Easton Government, Legislative

VOTE YES ONE MORE TIME TO PRESERVE SOUTH PARK FOREVER!

Posted on December 12, 2022 by Citizens for Easton | Comments Off

Polls are open tomorrow Tuesday December 13 at Samuel Staples School from 6am-8-pm.

Let’s finally get this done-Citizens for Easton was actually formed in 1972 to oppose a high density deveopment on this same property 50 years ago!

It is important to come out and actually vote in this referendum to demonstrate just how strongly Easton residents feel about land preservation for now, and for the future!

Link here to the Town Website to read the Conservation Restriction document upon which we will be voting or Click below:

Click to access conservation_restriction_with_map-website.pdf

CITIZENS FOR EASTON IS STRONGLY IN FAVOR OF THIS DOCUMENT. It will finally preserve the entire Town-owned South park property into perpetuity.

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Posted in Easton Government, Easton's history, Farmland preservation, Legislative, Preserving Easton, South Park

PLEASE ATTEND TOWN MEETING ON DECEMBER 5, 2022 TO PRESERVE SOUTH PARK- AGAIN

Posted on November 14, 2022 by Citizens for Easton | Comments Off

On Monday December 5, 2022 there will be a Town Meeting to approve the language of the Conservation Restriction placed on the South Park Property by the Town legislature at the Town Meeting on May 31, 2022. The verbiage already approved by the legislature reads as follows:

Subsequent to this meeting, there will be a referendum vote by the town on December 13, 2022 , to approve the language of the Conservation Restriction.

Link here to the Town Website to read the Conservation Restriction document upon which we will be voting or Click below:

https://citizensforeaston.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/conservation_restriction-bos_approved_9.15.22.pdf

CITIZENS FOR EASTON IS STRONGLY IN FAVOR OF THIS DOCUMENT. It will finally preserve the entire Town-owned South park property into perpetuity.

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Posted in Easton Government, Legislative, Preserving Easton, South Park, Town meetings

SOUTH PARK PROPERTY PRESERVED IN PERPETUITY!

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Citizens for Easton | Comments Off

Approximately 19 acres were purchased by the Aspetuck Land Trust. The remaining approx. 11 acres will be deeded with a permanent conservation easement approved by Town Meeting May 31, 2022. (Below)

Congratulations to all the Eastonites who worked together to make this happen!

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Posted in Easton Government, Legislative, Preserving Easton, South Park, Town meetings

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EASTON AFFORDABLE HOUSING HEARING, MAY 26, 7 PM

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Posted on May 23, 2022 by Citizens for Easton in Easton Government, In The Press, Legislative, Preserving Easton, Town meetings

LETTER TO TONY HWANG REGARDING CGS 8-30g

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Citizens for Easton | Leave a comment

Dear CFE member:

As you know, one of our primary objectives is to protect the public drinking water supply.

Easton’s three acre zoning areas were designed to do just that. Less density is the safest way to protect the water.

Section 8-30g of the Connecticut General Statutes, overides zoning by allowing high density development in the watershed as long as the Developer sets aside 30% of the units as deed restricted Affordable Housing. CFE is not against Affordable Housing, but we are against any high-density development on the watershed that impacts the public’s health and safety.

We have the opportunity to amend this Statue to exempt watershed lands, and we are imploring our Leadership to do that by proposing a bill to amend the Affordable Housing Land Use Appeals Act – Connecticut General Statutes, Section 8-30g by inserting the language “or is located in the watershed of a public drinking water supply reservoir;” into Subsection (g) (2) (A).

This simple language addition will protect the State’s precious public water supply watersheds -our most precious natural resource

This is the letter we are sending to Tony Hwang-our state senator- Tony.Hwang@cga.ct.gov, senatorhwang@gmail.com

Please see the letters we sent to Senator Hwang accompanying our email.

If you feel as we do, the time to communicate with our leadership is now.

Best,

Citizens for Easton

Please visit our webpage: https://citizensforeaston.org/

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/citizensforeaston/

And follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Citizens4Easton

2021 cfe letter to legislature- final Download

Proposed Bill Letter Housing Committee Download

please amend 8-30g hwang Download

Redding Zoning 8-30g letter Download

2017HB-07057-R000216-Pemberton, Julia, First Selectman-Redding, CT-TMY Download

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Posted in Legislative, Preserving Easton

FORUM ON ZONING MOVING TO HARTFORD- TONIGHT @ 6PM

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Citizens for Easton | Leave a comment

On the shirt tails of our referendum yesterday regarding the sidewalk, please join this informative forum this evening. Many issues that are on the table for discussion may be a jumping off point for why the sidewalks are becoming first and foremost at the forefront now.
Join us for a virtual forum on zoning changes that will affect your home and your town:
Date: Wed. March 31, 2021
Time: 6PM – 7:30 PM
Zoning, Land Use Issues & What is at Stake
Place: Please be sure to register here:

www.eventbrite.com/e/zoning-land-use-issues-whats-at-stake-for connecticut-tickets-148291549015
Here’s why:
A dozen bills are proposed in Hartford that if passed will restrict your local zoning board’s authority to regulate land use without considering the uniqueness of each of our 169 towns in Connecticut.

Zoning boards must be able to rule based on local criteria like location, topography, flooding, traffic, parking, environmental issues, wildlife, open space, historic preservation, infrastructure capacity and what is already built nearby.
The panel includes State Rep. Kimberly Fiorello, Sherman First Selectman Don Lowe, Woodstock TPZ Chairman Dr. Jeffery Gordon, Kathryn Braun, Esq. TPZ Commissioner Fairfield, and Steven Mullins TPZ Commissioner West Haven.

HOSTED BY: CT169Strong.org

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Posted in Easton Government, Farmland preservation, In The Press, Legislative, Preserving Easton

PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE-YOUR TESTIMONY NEEDED BY MONDAY!

Posted on March 13, 2021 by Citizens for Easton | Leave a comment

Our understanding is:

This proposed change in the CT General Statutes puts zoning control at a state level- it does not consider individual towns, and it is aimed at increasing density.

At the 32 minute mark- the Westcog speaker- explains the bill and voices the same concerns we have raised for the last approx 50 years- he says this bill will eliminate public hearings, and the state will not consider water quality issues

Affordable housing Act
Allows litigant to seek attorney’s fees against the towns- Town would have to pay own attorney expenses and litigant’s attorney fees

This from Sen. Hwang:

The need for more diverse housing in Connecticut needs to be addressed, HOWEVER the unique needs and geography of each community (including cities, suburbs, and rural areas) must be considered. The above noted bills will:Force municipalities to erect specific types of housing developments within a ½ mile of transit stations OR ¼ mile of commercial corridors, Eliminate local control over certain types of housing (location-based, accessory, 2+ units) and allow certain developments to occur without a local public hearing, Create new mandates – including training staff, assimilating local regulations and shouldering new costs, Affect the environment and drinking water statewide by ignoring the responsibilities of municipalities who host waterways, open space, Impact traffic flow, parking demands, Drive up residency at a rate which outpaces the capacities of local resources/services – Police, Fire, Schools, Overburden the public water and sewer infrastructure (if available )Require access to public transportation (if available)

Have your “Voice” be heard on the issues! Planning & Development Committee Public Hearing Monday, March 15, 10 a.m.

Registration deadline: Sunday, March 14, 3 p.m.
Testify via email:Send testimony to pdtestimony@cga.ct.gov Include “NO to State-Mandated Zoning and Yes to maintaining Local Control & Municipal Home Rule” in the subject line Preferably Word or PDF format Include your Name, Town and Bill Numbers (HB 6107, HB 6611, HB 6612, HB 6613, SB 1024, SB 1026, SB 1027) Copy me on your testimony at tony.hwang@cga.ct.gov Testify by phone:To register, call (203) 350-3769 to leave your contact information. You can watch the hearing here.
HELP SPREAD THE WORD !

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Posted in Easton Government, In The Press, Legislative