Letter: The New Battle of Ridgefield is Raging

The Battle of Ridgefield is raging on again - 242 years after the first one. Unfortunately, our P&Z Chairwoman is a Turncoat. Rebecca Mucchetti has her lieutenant, Joe Fossi, as well as her recruits – Cathy Savoca and Rich Vazzana (both non-elected Commissioners).

Rebecca seems to have forgotten what makes Ridgefield special and what has lured its residents to live here. As she tries to reshape this town and allows builders to change it, she betrays us all. She does not appreciate that the building materials aren’t the only thing that makes projects fit in with this town - its size, structure, purpose and density. The citizens of Ridgefield are not okay with huge 55 and over complexes (like on Quarry Road) or rolling over for every 8-30g proposal or leaving regulations that allow inappropriate commercial development in residential zones or 30 to 40 room hotels being planned or watching our wetlands and floodplains get squeezed.

While our quaint New England town has grown with more cultural assets, it has lost some unique shopping experiences that were a draw. It has lost its small-town feel. Let us not forget, however, that at its core it is a great town to raise a family. People can come here and their kids can get a good education, be involved in wonderful activities and, hopefully, not become entitled.

As we don’t have a Town Planner, it’s not surprising that an outside consultant, Planimetrics, would suggest we transform our town to mirror the needs of the baby boom population with more multi-family housing. But should we? Do we then tear down buildings and rebuild single-family residences for future generations when the baby boomers move on? There is a choice - we can continue to be a lure for families.

I did not come to Ridgefield with the expectation that I will live and then die here. If things fall into place where I can retire and stay, great. If not, I will find a place elsewhere to live out my days. Of course, between state and local taxes, Connecticut isn’t an ideal place to retire. My hope is that Ridgefield continues to be a destination for families - whether I retire here or not. We will always need towns like Ridgefield. What goal is better than trying to be a great place to raise a family?

In regard to a hotel, Ms. Mucchetti has been talking about one for a year and a half with Cathy Savoca – well before she appointed Cathy onto the Commission. Last summer, Ms. Savoca was granted a Special Permit to turn her house into a Bed & Breakfast. Some thought it did not make sense in the middle of a small neighborhood – but wouldn’t it on Main Street? It would fit in with the character of our town much more than a hotel. Then again, we had a jewel called the Elms that became condos – a loss to our town and its history. Is it Ms. Mucchetti’s purview to decide we need a hotel and to put it in the middle of town? If she builds it, will they come? Do we want them to come? I believe the residents and those of our neighboring towns support our businesses enough to not need overnight guests from great distances, but a B&B is more appropriate than a hotel.

When we elect our town officials, we don’t put them in office to do whatever they feel like. We expect them to reflect the wishes of their constituents. P&Z Commissioners have an obligation to protect our town – not transform our town. Ridgefield is a town where the taxpayers were willing to pay millions of dollars to protect Bennet’s Pond property from development.  It is a town where we have a goal of 30% Open Space. That speaks for itself. We were blissfully trusting P&Z for many years to protect our town. Things have changed and our eyes are wide open. We see that leadership at P&Z has gone off-track. We are not okay with it. We cannot accept it. We cannot accept chipping away at our town.

I am not saying the commissioners are bad people. I think all of them are nice. I think many are attempting to do what they think is good for the town. Unfortunately, it’s not what the majority of the residents want for Ridgefield. I believe some understand our desire for preservation, but most are not doing what we elected them for. We watch as Attorney Bob Jewell plays shell games for his clients. As an application at 99 Barry Avenue is contemplated, a rule gets changed to allow 5 houses instead of 3 off an accessway under the guise that it will be efficient and attractive. It’s just a way to allow more development to take place. It seems the commission is always bending backward to accommodate builders. Is it ever possible for them to just say no? On the same property, they are mulling over allowing 4 houses on 4 acres when it’s 2-acre zoning because 3.7 acres would be donated as Open Space. This Open Space won’t be near any other Open Space and will have 3 sections of wetlands on it so Bob Jewell says it won’t be used by anyone. So what is the purpose of this donation? Will the builder make more money? Will the neighborhood be exploited?

Residents are now pushing back on an application for a 77,000 square foot self-storage facility off Route 7. P&Z has argued that some of our loose regulations leave them with the ability to deny applications for many reasons. Now is the time to show us that. Rebecca, don’t follow the Crown – follow General Washington’s trail through our town.

Fellow citizens, enough is enough! It is time for us to throw tea in the harbor and bear arms while we still have a Ridgefield to protect and before we turn into South Danbury.

- Jeff Hansen, Ridgefield, CT